


A Sweet For The Sweetest Ghoul

by dying_deist



Series: On Earth As It Is In Hell [2]
Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Apologies, Bad Jokes, Bullying, Clumsiness, Dessert & Sweets, Early Era IV, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, Fire ghouls are jerks, Fluff, Kissing, Learning from mistakes, Light Angst, M/M, Multi is a jerk sometimes, Polyamory, Regret, Serenade, Tender Sex, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Water is a bottom, blowjob, but for how long tho?, not a real slow burn, polycule
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:34:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22651843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dying_deist/pseuds/dying_deist
Summary: On how Multi and Water developed their relationship.And it all started with a piece of cake.
Relationships: Dewdrop Ghoul | Fire Ghoul / Aether Ghoul, Multi Ghoul | Swiss Army Ghoul/Water Ghoul, aether ghoul/multi ghoul | swiss army ghoul
Series: On Earth As It Is In Hell [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1354612
Comments: 60
Kudos: 70





	1. Cake

**Author's Note:**

> I've been writing this fic since late April of last year, this was supposed to be posted long ago since the events covered by this fic refer to the early stage of the Prequelle era (I know that by 2019 the era wasn't at the beginning anymore tho). However, I'm a slow writer and I experience lots of writer's blocks and it actually took me 10 months to finish writing this :( But hey! The fic is finally here!
> 
> Chronologically this happens before Runaways (my other long fic) and if you want to understand some of the characters dynamics (especially between Dewdrop and Water) you can read my fic "Will You Join Us?" but it's not entirely necessary, you can read this new fic alone too.
> 
> As always I must thank @mercyfull for always helping me sorting out my ideas and opining on every new scene I wrote. Thank you, my dear friend <3 Big thanks to @copias_gloves too for beta-ing the first chapter a while ago.
> 
> Enjoy this new fic!

“Is it just me or is it hot in here?” Unmasked, Multi leaned back on his elbows, a sly smile on his face as he observed Aether entering the place.

“Of course, we’re in the sauna.” The rhythm guitarist snorted, knowing very well what the other ghoul meant, as he removed his mask and placed it next to Multi’s on the counter.

Being the only ones in the sauna that evening, both ghouls found a way to enjoy the last days before getting back on the road for the second leg of their tour. Located in the band ghouls’ building, the access to the sauna was exclusive for them. The whole room was clad in wood and the slatted, tiered benches were enough to fit all seven ghouls if they decided to stay in the room together. 

On the outside, attached to the door, there was a small whiteboard where the ghouls should write their names, so any band ghoul or ghoulette visiting the sauna would know beforehand who was inside the room and decide for themselves whether they would be comfortable showing their face to whoever was in there. When Aether wrote his name before entering the place, he shook his head at the sight of the penis that Dewdrop doodled on the board earlier that day, the drawing almost completely erased by then.

Sitting with his legs spread, Multi was at the bottom bench near a wall, a towel loosely wrapped around his waist revealing his dark happy trail. Aether eyed him for a moment, studying the droplets of sweat running down Multi’s exposed skin. It didn’t take him much thinking to decide to sit next to the ghoul.

“I know, but suddenly the room got even hotter.” Multi kept flirting.

“Quit it, Multi.” Aether chuckled as he stretched his neck, rubbing his nape and sliding his hand down his chest to rest it on his lap.

“Do we really need the towels, though?” The other ghoul asked, hoping that the rhythm guitarist would pick the hints of suggestiveness in his tone.

Aether couldn’t remember exactly how it started, but the two of them had been growing close lately to the point of even revealing their faces to each other. He liked Multi, despite his inconvenient behaviour sometimes, but he had already learned to deal with Dewdrop, who used to be way worse, so Multi wasn’t that big of a challenge to him.

Influenced by the intensity of their element, fire ghouls overall were more in touch with their sexual side than other ghouls and it made Aether notice a strong sexual tension growing between them recently. It didn’t take them too long to have sex just a few days ago and now it seemed like they were getting in the mood again. Aether removed his towel and tossed it aside onto the bench, uncovering his lower body. Smirking, he turned to face Multi and the ghoul quickly took off his own towel too. 

“That’s better.” Multi said, approaching Aether and placing a hand on one of the fire ghoul’s thighs, squeezing it.

“Don’t you even want to, I don’t know, talk first?” Aether playfully asked, referring to the other’s obvious eagerness.

Chuckling and choosing not to reply, Multi ran his hand up and down Aether’s thigh instead, sliding to caress the inner side with the tips of his fingers, his touch featherlight. The big ghoul’s eyes fluttered shut when Multi kissed him, not planning to waste any more time. Aether pulled him to sit on his lap, his hands skimming across the ghoul’s toned back, holding him tightly as they deepened the kiss. 

Soon Multi started rocking his hips, seeking more friction since pressing their sweaty, bare torsos against each other’s wasn’t enough. He moaned and broke the kiss to lick the side of Aether’s face and suck on his earlobe before whispering hot in his ear, “I just think it’s your turn to fuck me.”

“I’d like that.” Aether dragged a hand down the ghoul’s back to cup one of his butt cheeks, pulling it to the side. 

Multi’s smile widened and Aether closed his mouth at the base of the ghoul’s neck, licking his skin as he inhaled his musky scent mixed with a familiar fragrance in the room. The smell clicked something at the back of Aether’s mind and he moved his face away a little to ask, “vanilla?”

“Yeah, I added some drops to the water when I arrived. Is this important?”

“It just reminded me that I can’t stay for too long here, sorry.” Aether gave him an apologetic squeeze on the butt and kissed Multi’s chest, trying to make it up for the interruption of their sexy moment.

“What? Why?” The ghoul sounded confused and frustrated, wondering what Aether’s plans were.

“Well, the reason is probably a turn off to you, but I promised Water that I’d bake him a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.” Aether knew that he had just killed the mood, but he believed that he owned an explanation to Multi after all.

“It surely is a turn off, thanks.” The ghoul chuckled trying to mask his disappointment and got up from Aether’s lap, sitting beside him.

“Sorry, it’s important.” Aether insisted, kissing the other’s shoulder. He’d rather stay and have some fun with Multi, so he considered for a second whether he should suddenly cancel his plans with Water, but he had already made the bassist wait for too long, it would not be fair. “He loves chocolate cake, it’s his favourite, and we’ve agreed on meeting tonight.”

“Hm...” Multi found odd how that information piqued his interest. _Chocolate cake, huh?_ He thought to himself. 

When they joined the clergy Multi tried to approach the bassist in an attempt to befriend him, but Water always looked frightened by him, even if Multi couldn’t remember a single time he had said something stupid to the ghoul. So he didn’t insist on making any more advances for a while. He actually feared that Water’s shyness would jeopardize his live performance when they finally started touring, but as they played the upcoming gigs, Multi was impressed by the bassist’s skills, even though his behaviour on stage was still very quiet. Multi felt interested again, admiring Water from afar, but he decided to hold back for a little longer because back then the bassist was mostly accompanied by Aether and Dewdrop and Multi didn’t feel like meddling their moments together. He’d like to have his own time with the ghoul, only the opportunity hadn’t happened yet.

“Okay, then. Water is cute, I understand why you’d like to impress him.” Multi spoke with a playful smile on his lips in order to show Aether that he wasn’t upset at him, and the ghoul chuckled in response.

***

A few days later the band was back on tour. 

Unlike the previous frontmen, Copia seemed more concerned about making his ghouls enjoy their time on the road. During his papacy, Emeritus III had already pulled some strings to enhance the ghouls’s welfare, giving them more freedom than his older brother, Emeritus II, who made a name for himself as the most severe Papa. 

The current band ghouls still didn’t have much to say about Cardinal Copia since they barely knew him, but the frontman asked for the Clergy’s permission to let his ghouls go out in public while they were visiting other cities. His request was denied on his first attempt, of course, since it’d be dangerous to have actual demons walking around human beings; not that they’d attack people (although there was a risk), but the Clergy feared that they’d have their identities violated. Besides, it didn’t sound like a good idea at all because the fans certainly would chase after them in the streets.

However, as chaotic as that scenario could be, no one knew how exactly Copia was able to convince his superiors, but he did after all. Special masks were provided to the ghouls on the day before they left for their next ritual. The masks looked pretty much like the ones they already had, but without the back part, imitating the version available for band merch. They were told that, if they wished to leave the venue or the tour bus, they should wear the second mask and casual clothes to disguise themselves as the band’s… fans.

The suggestion seemed questionable at first and most ghouls felt insecure to try it out. Despite feeling curious to visit certain places in the cities where they played, they were not willing to risk their identities like that. The disappointment in Copia’s face was remarkable, only the ghouls were not sure if it was directed towards them or Copia himself for thinking that his idea would work.

Nonetheless, Aether and Multi decided to try their luck first. Dewdrop didn’t seem fond of the idea, but said that he’d consider it a second time if the two ghouls were successful in their attempt, so he wished them good luck. On the other hand, the ghoulettes said they were crazy. Either way, the two ghouls put on hoodies and jeans before leaving the tour bus while the others tensely watched them through the windows.

“Do you think this is gonna work?” Aether asked, trying to sound as usual, but Multi could notice that his band mate felt a little nervous.

“Hopefully. If not we can just run back to the bus.” The ghoul held Aether’s hand in an attempt to help him feel more at ease and the rhythm guitarist appreciated his concern. 

When they turned the corner of the block they saw a huge line of people outside the venue waiting for the gates to open. Their hearts beat fast as they noticed the crowd and feared that their disguise wouldn’t be enough, so they quickly decided to cross the street since they’d not like to pass by so many people. Sighing in relief, the ghouls felt like maybe the idea could work after all, especially because they saw many fans on the line wearing costumes and ghoul masks like theirs. 

“I guess the Cardinal’s idea is not that bad.” Multi commented when part of the tension started leaving his body.

“Hopefully not, but we should be careful anyway.” Aether said and the ghoul nodded.

Having in mind that they should not go too far, the ghouls walked down the street and observed the showcases of the stores, their attention being drawn towards a music shop with posters of their band on the outside. 

“Should we get in?” Multi asked, interested in knowing what they had for sale.

“I’d love to, but...” Nervously glancing over his shoulders, Aether was afraid that someone could be following them. 

“Okay, let’s just go to the end of the block and then we’ll return.”

Multi felt a bit worried since he had never seen Aether behaving so apprehensively like that. The rhythm guitarist had always seemed to be in control of his spirit and was also a source of confidence, but right at that moment the ghoul had a restless look in his brown eyes and Multi felt Aether’s hand sweating. 

Doing as Multi had suggested, the ghouls reached the end of the block and, when they were about to go back, Multi stopped in his tracks as he spotted a stunning cake through the window of a small confectionery.

“What happened? Did someone recognize us?!” Aether hurried to ask and Multi felt bad for his sudden stop making the ghoul worry without an actual reason.

“No, don’t fret, Aether!” Multi squeezed his hand in reassurance, “we’re safe for now, I just-” glancing back at the dark cake with caramel frosting once again, Multi pondered whether his new idea would be worth it. “Can we just stop by to buy something, please?” 

Aether would like to visit many of the stores they saw in their way, of course, but he felt like he was not ready to risk himself like that. At the same time he wanted to be able to enjoy their little moment outside in public and have something interesting to tell the others when they were back. Taking a deep breath, the ghoul said, “Uh, promise me it won’t take too long, alright?” 

“Sure!” Happy about the reply, Multi grinned at him and quickly held the sides of Aether’s mask to pull him into a quick kiss, which made the bulky ghoul chuckle. Regardless of that, Multi still hoped that their brief stop would not make Aether feel much more troubled.

As soon as they entered the place they got distracted by the several options inside display cases and the delicate decoration, it even made Aether start to calm down. Their eyes roamed the whole place, trying to take in every detail, every colour and shape that they found there. The walls were painted in a light shade of pink with a few lavender details while the counter and tables had a pastel mint colour. 

The ghouls had never been in a place like that and it overwhelmed their senses for a brief moment until a salesman appeared, “welcome to Dolcelizia! How can I help you?” He greeted them with a smile, snapping the ghouls out of their impressed state.

“Oh,” Multi looked from side to side trying to spot the cake he had seen before entering the place. When he saw it, he hurried to the showcase and tapped the glass with his forefinger, not even noticing the sudden worried look in the salesman’s eyes when the window started quivering due to the intensity of the beats. “I’d like a piece of this one.” 

“Good choice!” The man said. “Are you going to eat here?”

“No, we’ll take it with us.” Aether replied.

“Alright! Anything else?” The ghouls exchanged a look and shook their heads, then the salesman indicated a table for them. “Please, feel free to sit down while I pack your order.” The ghouls nodded and sat facing each other. 

“Everything feels so weird, I don’t think the man recognized us.” Multi whispered while looking around.

“That’s good.” Aether let out a sigh of relief and felt his shoulders relax a little.

“Would you like something for yourself?”

“You’re not willing to share your cake with me then?” The rhythm guitarist arched an eyebrow behind his mask, he thought that they were going through that trouble to buy a cake for themselves, but Multi’s question made him doubt that.

Realizing Aether’s expectations, Multi suddenly felt a bit embarrassed and brought a hand to rub his neck, looking away. “Ah, it’s not for me...” 

“Hm, okay.” Aether didn’t have to think much to figure out who Multi wished to impress, the possible answer almost immediately came to his mind, so he smiled. “I’m sure Water will like it.”

Aether chuckled quietly when he noticed Multi’s eyes widening in surprise at his guess, which was proved true. It wasn’t hard to come to that conclusion since Multi had been showing more interest in the bassist lately, however Aether actually found it a bit odd that Multi seemed shy about the subject, especially when he was usually so open regarding those matters. Maybe his feelings this time were different, but Aether could only imagine.

Before Multi could respond, the salesman was back with a cute pink paper box in his hands and a smile on his face. “It’s all done, sir! It’s a total of $20.” He said as he handed the box to Multi.

The ghoul took a single dollar bill from his pocket, one that Copia had given him that morning, but it was only 10 bucks. Multi then looked up at Aether and asked, “did the Card-,” he paused to clear his throat, it’d not be smart to say anything related to the band at that moment if they didn’t intend to raise suspicions. “Did our boss give you some money?”

“Yes.” Aether sighed and searched for the bill into his pocket. Copia had given all the ghouls the same amount of cash in case they’d like to venture through the streets and wanted to buy something. “Is this enough?” He gave the money to the salesman despite feeling a bit reluctant since he wasn’t going to take a bite of the cake at all.

“Yes, it is!” The man happily collected the bill and guided the ghouls towards the exit. “Thank you both for your visit and Dulcelizia hope to see you back soon! Have fun at the gig!” He waved them farewell and Aether and Multi felt relieved for the man’s last words, confirming that their disguise as fans had worked.

“I have the feeling that their price range was kinda high.” Aether commented as soon as they left the place and started walking back to their bus.

“I have no idea, I’ve never bought cake before.” Multi shrugged, he wasn’t familiarised with finances, especially dealing with human money.

While they were on their way back, Multi observed that the line had grown a lot in only a few minutes. He felt surprised and happy at the same time knowing that all of those people were waiting to see them playing live. Sometimes he would lose the notion of how big they were getting as a band. Despite feeling proud whenever he saw a full venue while they played on stage, the sensation was different when he could actually see the effort that many fans made just to be present there. Multi smiled to himself in realisation of how important their music could be to others and how that could only mean that the Clergy’s plan of recruiting new souls to serve Satan had been successful so far. 

“Multi, can I ask you a favour?” Aether’s voice snapped the other ghoul back to reality when they had just turned a corner of the block, their bus already in sight.

“Sure!”

He waited for the ghoul to keep talking, but the sudden silence made Multi turn his face to take a better look at Aether’s eyes only to find his gaze fixed on the ground. Multi frowned behind his mask, that situation odd to him. It looked like the rhythm guitarist was struggling with whatever favour he planned to ask.

Multi then noticed the ghoul exhaling loudly and finally speaking again. “Could you please don’t mention to Dew about...” his tone was low, “how afraid I was?”

It took Multi a second to realize that Aether was talking about their little adventure out of the bus since Aether behaved very concerned during the whole time. Multi couldn’t understand why Aether wanted to hide that detail from Dewdrop, but he didn’t feel like he had the right to ask further questions, even though he’d like to understand Aether’s thoughts better. Deciding to show some support to the ghoul, Multi smiled and patted him on the back.

“Don’t sweat it, man.” He said and Aether nodded at him.

When they were only a couple steps away from the bus, the door opened abruptly and the ghouls looked in its direction, startled for a second before they saw Dewdrop sticking his head out. 

“Fuck, you’re back!” The lead guitarist exclaimed and sighed in relief. 

As soon as Aether entered the bus, Dewdrop wrapped his arms around the big ghoul’s torso and buried his masked face into his chest. The rhythm guitarist couldn’t help smiling and tightly hugged his boyfriend, rubbing his back up and down. 

“You were worried about me? I just went on a walk.” He snorted in amusement, but also thinking that it was a very sweet display of affection from Dewdrop, even if the small ghoul had cussed in the process, but that was just how Dewdrop was.

“And he had a very strong, charming bodyguard.” Multi cut off their tender moment and playfully hugged both ghouls, inciting an angry noise from Dewdrop, who pushed him away.

“Fuck off!” The small ghoul growled, staring daggers at him and side hugging Aether in a very protective way.

“Sweet.” Smirking, Multi taunted Dewdrop and teasingly poked the ghoul’s mask. 

The lead guitarist quickly turned his face and tried to bite Multi’s fingers, but Multi was fast enough to retreat them and looked at the other in fascination. “So you like to bite, huh?!” Multi smirked.

“Next time I will bite your dick.” Dewdrop menacingly grabbed the other’s groin and squeezed it, a satisfied smile on his lips when he heard the ghoul yelping and stepping back.

“Hey, hey, enough for now, guys.” Aether decided to intervene and carefully pulled Dewdrop away from Multi and the ghoulettes showed up to welcome the ghouls back.

“How was your journey, boys?” Breeze asked.

“Pretty neat, the disguises worked just fine.” Multi replied, still keeping an eye on Dewdrop on the other side, just to make sure that he’d not be attacked by him again.

“So is it safe to go out like that?” Blizzard assumed.

“I’d not say that it’s completely safe, but...” Aether glanced at Multi for a moment, remembering his request to not tell about the way he felt earlier. “I think it’s worth a try.” He shrugged.

“What did you buy?” Blizzard pointed at the bag in Multi’s hand.

“Ah, thank you for the reminder.” Multi ignored the ghoulette’s question and simply walked in the direction of their bunks, leaving the others confused and curious, except for Aether, who already knew what Multi had in the bag.

The ghoul looked for something, or maybe someone, and once he reached the bunks area he only saw Earth taking a nap near the window. Multi then approached the ghoul and shook him by the shoulder. 

“Earth, hey!” He said as the drummer woke up in a jolt.

“What? Multi? Why did you wake me up?!” The tall ghoul asked frustrated for having his sleep disturbed.

“Have you seen Water?” Multi said, not even caring for how inconvenient he was being.

“I don’t know! I was just trying to sleep! Dude, never wake me up again!” Earth pushed the hand on his shoulder away and curled back to his previous position, burying his face into the pillow.

“Whatever.” Multi tsked in annoyance and left the drummer alone. 

The ghouls’ bus was not that big, there was only a common area at the front with TVs and places to sit, a section with their bunks, the bathrooms and a small kitchen. Multi hadn’t checked the latter yet, so he headed there and opened a wide smile when he finally spotted Water. The bassist was scrutinizing the inside of the fridge, probably looking for something to eat.

“Hey!” Multi announced his presence and stepped closer to the ghoul.

“Hi, Multi!” Water greeted him and closed the door of the fridge without actually picking anything from inside.

“How are you feeling? Hungry?” Multi chuckled as he nodded toward the refrigerator.

“Oh, yes.” Water nervously giggled and held his hands in front of his body, his shy demeanour reminding the other ghoul of how adorable the bassist was. “I always feel a bit nervous before the show starts, although it’s not as bad now as it was at the beginning of our tour.”

“I see! Well, maybe this can help you feel more relaxed…?” Multi handed the pink package to the ghoul and watched his confused green eyes trying to figure out what was inside. “Open it!”

Water complied and when he saw the piece of cake he looked up at Multi again. “Cake? For me?”

“Yes!”

“Why?” The bassist was still trying to understand why Multi would give him such a thing. They were not even that close yet.

“I saw it while I was out with Aether and...” Multi just shrugged nonchalantly.

Water kept silent for a moment, his eyes travelling from the cake to Multi, who was starting to worry thinking whether the other had liked the gift or not, especially when Water shook his head and closed the paper box again.

“Multi, this is very nice of you, but I can’t accept it!” He handed it back to the ghoul.

“Why not?” _Did Aether lie?_ Multi thought. Maybe Water didn’t like cakes after all.

“I don’t see a reason for you to spend money with me, I don’t have anything to give you back.” 

Water anxiously tugged at the hem of his jacket and had a hard time trying to maintain eye contact with the ghoul. He talked in a low tone, almost as if he wasn’t sure if he should say that. Multi just smiled at him and placed a sympathetic hand on the bassist’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, it’s a gift!” Multi gingerly pushed the package back to Water. “A sweet for the sweetest ghoul.” He lightly touched the ghoul’s chin and felt his heart warm at the sight of the green eyes looking up at him. 

“T-thank you...” Water said and, despite the mask, Multi was sure that the bassist was blushing. He could only imagine what a sweet sight it’d be...

“Enjoy it!” Multi stepped back in the direction of the exit, but turned again just to wave and wink at Water before leaving. “See you in a moment.” 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feedback is very much appreciated <3


	2. Popcorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Water and Multi find out they have more in common than they thought, so they agree on a movie night... in Multi's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks @noxioga for the beta work <3

Perhaps Water shouldn’t feel intimidated by Multi after all.

When he joined the band as the new bassist not long ago he was introduced to his bandmates and the two fire ghouls, Dewdrop and Multi, who frightened him a little. Dewdrop was surrounded by scary rumours, some of them were even confirmed true by the guitarist himself and Multi was just too… Carefree? Multi hadn’t actually done any harm to Water, but they were so opposite that it made the bassist feel nervous around the other.

That’s why Water was truly surprised when Multi showed up before a gig and offering a piece of cake that he had brought especially for Water. They were not close friends, but maybe that was Multi’s way to try to start a friendship. The cake was delicious and Water ate it with much gusto, enjoying the fine flavour of the chocolate and caramel. 

Tasting such a good dessert definitely helped Water to feel more relaxed before going on stage, so after the show was over the bassist looked for Multi to thank him properly. He excitedly told Multi how much he liked the cake and the fire ghoul just smiled back at him, satisfied to know the other’s reaction. Multi even suggested that the two of them should hangout and chat a bit the next day and Water agreed.

However, they actually met for talks several times during the following weeks while they were still touring. They’d usually hang around the bus kitchen late at night after a gig and chat about many things: favourite food, how they usually spent their free time, hobbies, etc. They found out that they had many interests in common, especially regarding movies.

Both ghouls were horror lovers and had an impressive collection of DVDs and VHS. Multi found himself amazed by how excited Water sounded when talking about the subject and told him that his favourite movie was  _ Rosemary’s Baby _ . Multi’s favourite movie was  _ The Exorcist _ and Water grinned widely and his green eyes shone in enthusiasm when he heard that. They decided to watch a movie together once they were back at the Abbey within a couple days.

And soon that day came. Despite knowing that they had previously agreed about it, Water felt anxious by the thought of meeting Multi alone that evening. They had been talking a lot lately and Water was convinced that he was wrong in his first judgement, Multi was friendlier and kinder than he thought. Even still, there was something agitating Water’s heart while he was getting ready to meet with Multi, only he wasn’t sure about the nature of the feeling. It wasn’t necessarily the negative kind, but it definitely made him feel nervous.

Water noticed how his fingers were unsteady when he tried to button up his black shirt. He paused for a second and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at himself in the mirror, beginning to muse on the possible cause of his uneasiness. The bassist realized that he didn’t have many friends on the surface in comparison to his big family down in Hell. Water ghouls usually lived among large groups, unlike fire ghouls, who are individualists and lonelier.

The bassist had always been shy, but even though he still had loyal friends in his clan, friends that he missed too much. Despite the hostility in Hell, Water felt safe as long as he was accompanied by his pack, but things changed when he was summoned by the Clergy. Everybody was a stranger to him, he didn’t know who he could trust and he didn’t have a pack to help him anymore.

Maybe it was a mix of sadness, for leaving his home behind, and anxiety for having to establish all new connections from scratch. He only had to do that when he was a little ghoul, but for the rest of his life he was always accompanied by the same group of friends. 

When he joined the band he actually managed to stick together with the ghoulettes for a while, but he then found himself lonely again. Aether and Dewdrop reached out to him, though, and they had nice moments together since then. Water was happy for letting the ghouls approach him and he felt less isolated. And now Multi seemed to be interested in bonding with him, it could be a good opportunity for Water although he was afraid of things going awry along the way.

But he at least should try, right? 

After a few minutes of self-reflection, Water felt more determined to see Multi, so he quickly finished getting dressed, put on his mask, and walked down the hallway until he stopped in front Multi’s door. He reluctantly knocked at it and waited for the other ghoul to open it, which happened almost immediately.

“I was waiting for you!” Multi greeted the bassist with a huge smile and stepped aside so the ghoul could enter the room.

“Sorry, am I late?” Water held his hands together in front of his body and stepped in, Multi closing the door behind them. 

There was a familiar buttery smell in the air and Water looked from one side to the other trying to find out where it was coming from until he spotted two popcorn bowls over the nightstand near the bed. The bassist felt his heart warming seeing Multi’s efforts so they could have a cool movie night. 

“Not at all, I’m just excited for our little plan,” the fire ghoul confessed, and motioned for Water to follow him to a corner of the room where a dark wooden rack was. Water watched attentively when Multi slid a door open and revealed his collection of horror movies. The bassist gasped and couldn’t help stepping closer to take a better look at the titles, which made Multi chuckle in amusement.

“Wow, so cool!!” Water took a _ Child’s Play _ VHS from inside the rack, but stopped halfway through. “Uh, sorry! I didn’t ask if I could touch your belongings.” He put the VHS back to where it was and apologized once again, feeling embarrassed for the inconvenience.

“Don’t sweat it, Water! You can touch anything in this room. Including myself.” The fire ghoul said in a flirty tone and winked at the bassist, who felt his face burning at the suggestion.

“I-I...” Water stuttered, not being sure of how he should respond, until Multi started laughing. 

“Don’t worry, it’s a joke. Unless...” Multi arched a brow behind his mask and watched Water’s eyes widening, dumbfounded. “I will stop now.” Laughing again, the fire ghoul patted Water on the arm and turned his attention back to the movies. “So, what do you wanna watch?”

Despite still feeling a bit bashful due to the flirting, the bassist’s eyes roamed the options before him and he pondered for a while. He had seen most of the movies; he could try something completely new, but when he saw the  _ Dawn of the Dead _ DVD his heart pounded loud in his chest and he knew that he’d pick that one, even though he had already lost count of how many times he’d seen it.

So, remembering Multi’s words allowing him to touch anything in the room, Water took the DVD and handed it to the fire ghoul. “This one, please?” 

“Sure! I haven’t seen that one in a while anyways.” Multi walked toward the TV stand. “Shall we begin? We can’t let the popcorn cool down.”

“Alright! Where can I sit?” Water saw an armchair on the other side of the room, but it was too far from the TV, so he considered pulling it closer.

“You can just choose a side of the bed.” Multi replied as he inserted the DVD in the player.

“O-okay.” The bassist felt shy again, but the bed actually made more sense, since it was facing the screen directly.

Water picked the left side of the bed, kicked his shoes off and accommodated himself, resting his back against a pile of soft pillows. Soon Multi joined him and handed him a popcorn bowl. The movie started playing and both ghouls paid much attention to it even though they knew everything that would happen.

Despite sweets being his favourites, Water would never pass on some good popcorn, so he had his mouth full during the first half of the movie until he ran out of popcorn. He timidly glanced to the side and noticed that Multi still had half the bowl full and, as much as he wanted to ask for the ghoul to share the popcorn with him, Water refrained himself from doing so. He didn’t want to come across as rude, plus he ate a bowl alone just now, he couldn’t be that greedy.

Water frustratedly kept watching the movie while he discreetly tried to lick his fingers with the intention of both cleaning them and also tasting the remaining popcorn flavour. Multi probably noticed Water’s interested glances toward his bowl at some point, because he suddenly swung it in front of Water, catching the bassist’s attention from the TV.

“Do you want more?” Multi asked.

“N-no, I’m good!” Water lied, thinking that Multi was just offering out of kindness.

“Sure? I don’t think I can eat everything anyways, help me out?” 

Water turned his face to look at Multi and saw a gentle look in his eyes. Maybe he should accept the offer since Multi was being so cool with him. “Okay then.” 

The bassist agreed and grabbed a handful of popcorn to shove into his mouth. He didn’t want to look desperate, but he probably did and the thought that Multi was silently judging him made Water feel too self-conscious.

“Don’t be afraid to take more, okay?” Multi said when he noticed that Water was taking smaller amounts of popcorn. “Just go for it, man!” The fire ghoul grabbed a handful himself and ate it in hopes that it’d make Water feel less ashamed.

“Thanks.” The bassist smiled at him, relieved.

They kept watching the movie and sharing the popcorn and, at some point, while Water’s eyes were focusing on the TV, he put his hand inside the bowl and accidently touched Multi’s hand, who also decided to grab more popcorn at the same time as Water.

“S-sorry!” The bassist quickly withdrew his hand.

“It’s okay, Water. I said that you could touch anything in this room, remember?” Chuckling, Multi just kept watching the movie unconcernedly.

Water didn’t reply. He couldn’t tell why, but he felt an odd feeling. He wasn’t made uncomfortable by Multi’s playful remarks, otherwise he’d probably ask him to stop. Water was just feeling… Something, and during the last twenty minutes of the movie he couldn’t concentrate anymore.

Thankfully he already knew everything about the movie, it’d be a disaster if he were to miss the ending if he had never seen it before. However, his eyes often left the TV to watch Multi from the corner and Water could swear that Multi caught him doing it a few times.

Was Multi looking at Water too?

The bassist tried to understand why he was so suddenly concerned about it, but when he least expected the credits started rolling on the screen. 

“This one is a masterpiece. I love it.” Multi sighed appreciatively and looked at Water, waiting for any comments from him.

“I-it is!” Water made sure to reply and hoped that the other wouldn’t suspect his behaviour. “Can I wash my hands in your bathroom?”

“Sure! I should clean mine too.”

Water got up from the bed and Multi followed him, but the bassist stopped in his tracks and bashfully looked up at the other ghoul.

“I might actually need some privacy.” Water said and quickly dropped his gaze to the floor. 

"Oh, my bad! I'll wait here." The fire ghoul excused himself and Water headed to the bathroom.

Once inside, the bassist removed his mask, washed his hands and splashed some water on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror, something that he usually did when he needed to organise his thoughts.

He was doing okay for most of the evening, he planned to watch the movie with Multi and take the opportunity to bond with him. However, his attention oddly changed directions a few minutes ago.

Maybe it was a result of the silly comments from Multi. Not that the comments were convincing enough to make Water feel a sudden interest in the other ghoul, but he just couldn't stop thinking about many possibilities.

Multi had been kind to him lately, Water felt grateful for talking to him because they had found out that they had a lot in common and they were getting along well. But the bassist couldn't deny that he also felt open to something more. Not that he had strong feelings for Multi, that was not the case, at least not yet, but he felt something similar to when Aether and Dewdrop started to get closer to him.

Water was well aware that most ghouls were open to get affectionate with others even if they didn't have any formal commitment. The bassist himself had done this with Aether and Dewdrop many times, so he shouldn't feel weird for thinking that he could do something like that with Multi also, right?

Perhaps Multi mentioning that Water was allowed to touch him made something click in his mind and made him wonder if he truly could or if the fire ghoul was just meaninglessly teasing him. 

Water would like to try… But should he? Wouldn't that be too fast for them?

What was Water thinking after all? He should just stop daydreaming about it and return to the room, he'd already probably spent too much time in there.

Shaking his head in an attempt to chase the thoughts away, Water put on his mask and left the bathroom. Multi went inside to quickly wash his hands and when he returned, he directed a large smile at Water.

"So, did you enjoy our little session?" Multi cheerfully asked.

"I did, thank you for inviting me. I had a good time." Water showed his gratitude by politely bowing, eliciting a chuckle from the other ghoul.

"You're cute, but there's no need to be so formal with me, okay?" Multi said and gingerly lifted Water's chin. "Besides, would you like to spend the night here? We could watch more movies or do something else, your choice!"

_ Yes _ , Water thought to himself. He'd like to stay there for a little longer, but the invitation actually made his anxiety increase again. He was afraid of causing an inconvenience or maybe misinterpreting Multi's words. He didn't want to assume anything, Multi was probably just being kind with him again, but at the same time Water couldn't help thinking that this could be the opportunity to know whether Multi would be open to some affection or not.

Their relationship was so nice the way it was, he didn't want to ruin it because of his desire for contact. The past weeks had been hard for him regarding the lack of physical touch. Water usually fed his needs with Aether or Dewdrop, but he didn't feel like disturbing the couple since they seemed to prefer each other's company during the end of their tour.

Water would be happy even with simple cuddles or gentle fingers scratching his scalp, but he wasn't against the idea if things escalated to something more.

The proximity to Multi lately made the bassist crave for some sort of contact with him too, but he was afraid of saying it. He was more afraid of what Multi would think of him than being rejected. He knew that Multi seemed to be the flirty type, but that didn't mean that he'd agree to do something else with Water. 

The bassist was sure that he probably spent too long musing before answering because, when he was snapped out of his own thoughts, he saw Multi looking confusedly at him.

"I-I'd like that, but-" Water finally said before pausing again. What would be the best decision? "Maybe another time… I'm feeling a bit tired." He replied against his own will. He felt the need to clear some things up to himself before taking any other step.

"No worries." Multi said with a half smile, but Water could swear he caught a hint of disappointment in the ghoul's voice. Multi then accompanied Water to the door. "Hey, feel free to come over anytime!"

"Thanks." The bassist smiled back at the other.

"Have a good night!"

But Water didn't reply immediately. Once again he caught himself stopping his actions to muse about something. He then stepped closer to Multi, but couldn't bring his gaze to meet the other's, still unsure of what he was about to do. 

"Water?" Multi said when he noticed the odd behaviour from the ghoul.

The bassist shyly tugged on the collar of Multi's shirt and waited for any negative reaction from him, but Multi only kept silent. When Water looked up he saw brown eyes fixed on him. Multi's look wasn't scared or intimidated, so Water slowly closed the distance between their masked faces while watching for any signs of discomfort from the other.

When he saw Multi instinctively licking his own lips Water thought that that could be his cue to continue, so he softly pressed his mouth against Multi's, who almost immediately reciprocated, capturing Water's bottom lip between his.

The bassist felt his heart uneasy after building up the courage to do such a thing. He imagined many ways for how the situation could go wrong, but when he felt Multi's hand holding the small of his back he moved those worried thoughts to the back of his mind.

The kiss didn't last for too long though, and soon Water pulled away with a smacking sound that made him feel more than embarrassed at that moment.

"Good night…" Water quickly said before spinning on his heels and storming out to his room, leaving a stunned Multi behind.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a romantic choice of movie, right? Lol I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had to make it fluffy.


	3. Eden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just two ghouls enjoying a late night slow dance... and potentially something more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking some time to post the new chapter, but I was away on a trip to... SEE GHOST @ MEXICO CITY!!! I finally saw the band for the first time, it was amazing! I didn't bring my laptop with me and I got super busy for two weeks, but I'm back and with a new update! Enjoy this super soft chapter :)
> 
> Thanks to @evapunk333 for betaing this!

The memory of the kiss lingered in Multi’s mind for quite some time. He didn’t expect that to happen, at least not so soon, he imagined that things between Water and him would still follow a slow pace for a while. He felt his heart beating fast when they kissed, but he was positively surprised that Water took the first step. When he saw the bassist hurrying to his room after wishing him good night, Multi let out a heavy sigh.

Having lost count of how many people he had kissed in his entire life, Multi could say that this one brief, yet sweet, kiss from Water felt completely different from the other times. The fire ghoul would like to find out how far things would go, maybe Water and he could have casual encounters, maybe they could just end up being friends without benefits, who knows? Multi just wanted to be sure that they both could be happy with whatever they decided to do.

Despite not mentioning the kiss in the following days, the two ghouls kept meeting and chatting as usual. However, Multi noticed that they were spending even more time together, which drew the attention of the other ghouls. 

“What’s going on between Water and you?” Blizzard asked at the breakfast table while Breeze and Dewdrop listened in.

“What do you mean?” Multi asked back while sipping his coffee.

“You two are so close lately, Blizzard and I were discussing it yesterday.” The short ghoulette mentioned nonchalantly.

“And all of a sudden two ghouls can’t be just good friends now?” Multi smirked through the hole in his mask and placed the now empty coffee mug on the table. “Only because we’re hanging out more often it doesn’t mean we’re dating or something.” He shrugged.

“I know you, Multi.” Dewdrop finally spoke. When Multi glanced at him he saw a threatening look in the guitarist’s blue eyes. “And I know Water too. I  _ don’t  _ know what you’re up to, but if you end up hurting his feelings...” He said through gritted teeth.

“Wow, chill, dude!” Multi didn’t expect Dewdrop to be so overprotective of Water. In fact, he wasn’t even fully aware of how intimate they were, so seeing the small ghoul talking too seriously like that made Multi fight back a shiver. “Do you like him?” He assumed, judging by the other’s odd behaviour.

Widening his eyes, Dewdrop abruptly got up from his chair, slamming both hands down on the table. The ghoulettes, who were sitting next to him, flinched at the loud noise and exchanged a worried look.

“Fuck you, Multi.” The lead guitarist cussed and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving the other three confused.

“What got into him, for fuck’s sake?” Multi muttered. He knew that Dewdrop was short-tempered, but he couldn't imagine that the context of their conversation would make the ghoul behave like that. 

“Well…" Blizzard said after a while of uncomfortable silence between them, "I know you’re annoying overall, but this time I must say that I’m as confused as you are.”

“I suppose Dew has grown attached to the boy and he genuinely cares about him, so it’s only natural for him to get mad if Water gets hurt somehow.” Breeze commented.

Multi thoughtfully looked towards the exit where Dewdrop had left. Breeze was probably right and Dewdrop must have feelings for Water, that would explain his actions and words. He was aware that the ghouls usually didn’t see a problem in sharing partners and, as far as he knew, Dewdrop agreed with that thought. Multi even had already slept with Aether and Dewdrop and everyone seemed cool with what they had.

“Hm, that makes sense. Be careful, Multi.” Blizzard said and leaned forward over the table to touch Multi’s hand.

“Geez, you talk like I’m a criminal.” He tried to sound playful and gently withdrew his hand from the ghoulette’s hold.

“Okay, I’m joining Dew in this.” Breeze clasped her hands together to catch Multi’s attention. “Water is a sweet guy, don’t break his heart, Multi.” She pointed a finger at him.

Open-mouthed, Multi stared at her in confusion. Dewdrop threatening him was already enough, he didn’t want to worry about Breeze’s menace too. “What’s wrong with you all? I’m not a monster.” He shook his head and got up from the table, heading toward the exit. “Bye!”

_ What an odd morning _ , he thought to himself.

***

Later that night Water was having trouble sleeping. He didn’t know what made him feel like that, he usually didn’t have any problem during bedtime, but that night he just couldn’t keep his eyes shut. He rolled on the mattress from one side to the other, but it was no use. Sighing in frustration, he got up from the bed and decided to pay a visit to the kitchen. He put on his mask and, when he was about to leave his room, he stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulders, his eyes laying over the iPod on his nightstand. He grabbed it and put it in his pocket before finally going downstairs.

Their building was quiet and he didn’t stumble upon any other ghoul roaming the hallways on his way to the kitchen. When he arrived there he headed straight to a cabinet where he kept his snacks, but he found himself confused when he opened a door and saw it empty. He tried to figure out who would have stolen his snacks since he perfectly remembered that there were still at least four packages of potato chips since the last time he checked.

Sighing in frustration, he decided to pick something from the fridge, but there were barely any options. He didn’t want to eat Aether’s and Earth’s vegetables, neither he’d dare touching Dewdrop’s and Multi’s food that looked like they had rotten a long time ago. Water also didn’t intend on irritating the ghoulettes by touching their food, so he just grabbed a can of soda and headed to the common living room while thinking that he should inform someone about the lack of food in their kitchen lately. Maybe he should tell Aether, who seemed to be the one who always took care of these things.

The ghoul looked side to side, to confirm that he was alone, then he threw himself on the largest couch and toed his slippers off before resting his feet across the soft seats. Water placed a cushion under his head and took his iPod from the pocket, searched for a specific artist in a playlist and hit play when he found it. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself when his ears began to be filled with the dirty heavy tuned guitars and bass from the song he chose, taking a sip of the soda every now and then. 

Whenever Water had some free time he would enjoy spending it listening to his favourite songs, just simply laying down on the bed or the couch and not paying attention to anything else. Sometimes he’d enjoy listening to music while taking a long, relaxing bath too, which he had not done in a while, he realized. 

Still with his eyes shut, Water suddenly felt someone poking him on the shoulder, which made him sit up in a jolt, almost choking on the soda, and remove his earphones, immediately pausing the song. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Multi apologized when he noticed the bassist’s jump.

“N-no, it’s fine! I was just too distracted.” Water said and showed him a weak smile.

“Can I sit here?” Multi pointed to the seat next to Water, who nodded and withdrew his legs, giving room to the other ghoul. “Having trouble sleeping?” Multi asked.

“Yes… You too?”

“Sort of.” The fire ghoul shrugged and laid his eyes on Water’s iPod. “Hm, what are you listening to?”

“Music!” Water promptly replied.

“Seriously?” Multi chuckled when he saw Water embarrassingly shaking his head after finally realizing how obvious his answer was. “Can I?” He made to take one of Water’s earphones and the bassist nodded, resuming the song that he had paused moments ago.

Water remembered that they hadn’t discussed their music taste until then and he wasn’t sure if Multi would be into the same bands he enjoyed, so he tried to figure out Multi’s thoughts paying attention to the look in the ghoul’s brown eyes through the holes in the mask. Multi looked very concentrated until he stared back at Water with wide eyes.

“Doom metal?!” Multi asked surprised.

“Yeah…?” 

“I honestly thought you’d like something completely different!” 

“Why did you think that?” Water tilted his head. He wondered if people really assumed his music preference based on his shy demeanour, even if that didn’t make much sense to him. “Besides,  _ Funeralopolis  _ is one of my favourite songs ever.”

“I’m amazed.” Multi grinned at him, his eyes never leaving the bassist’s.

Water blinked a few times before looking away, the long stare making him feel embarrassed. He cleared his throat and asked, “What about you? Tell me a song that you like.” 

“Okay!” The fire ghoul got up from the couch and held out a hand to Water, who looked up at him in confusion. “I want to show you my vinyl collection.” 

The beautiful smile on Multi’s lips made Water feel his heart flutter suddenly, he quietly nodded and accepted the ghoul’s help to stand him up. However, Multi didn’t let go of Water while they went upstairs and the bassist found himself glancing down at their linked hands during the whole way to Multi’s room. Water’s hand looked so small in comparison to Multi’s, which also felt warm, and the bassist wondered for a moment if it had anything to do with the fire ghoul’s element or if he was just naturally warm like that. 

Once they were in the room, Multi stepped closer to the TV stand and slid the door open, revealing a vinyl case and a turntable, which he grabbed and placed on top of the stand. Water approached the case and crouched down, examining the records in there. Prince, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Praying Mantis, The Beatles, Madonna, Queen and many others, some that he enjoyed, others not so much, and there were even a few artists that he had never heard before.

“There’s this one particular song that I’ve been listening to nonstop for the past month.” Multi’s voice caught Water’s attention and the bassist stood up again in time to see Multi placing the vinyl on the turntable. 

Then a calm, clean guitar riff started playing soon accompanied by a humming and drums. It didn’t take long until a soothing male voice started singing.

_ Babe, there's something tragic about you _

_ Something so magic about you _

_ Don't you agree? _

Holding his hands in front of his body like he so often did, Water paid close attention to the lyrics while staring into space, but soon he noticed Multi discreetly tapping a foot on the floor. Water’s eyes followed the tall figure of Multi down and up and saw him moving his body slightly and his head tilting as if he was holding back the urge to dance to the song. 

“Dance with me?” Multi asked with a smile and a hint of expectation in his voice.

“What?!” Water said, widening his eyes in surprise.

He was a bassist, not a dancer! It was true that he could tap dance, but it was a secret and he didn’t intend to let any of his bandmates know, at least not any time soon. Water was sure that Multi could pull off very nice dance moves, he had seen them before on stage, so he’d rather not make a fool of himself in front of Multi. 

“I-I don’t dance.” Water stepped back and shook his head.

“Hey, it’s fine. We’re not gonna compete in any talent show,” the fire ghoul chuckled and held out a hand, “we won’t move much, I can guide you.” Once again he showed a warm smile to Water, but the bassist kept silent for a few seconds still considering the proposition. “But it’s okay if you really don’t want to try.” Multi said at last when he noticed that maybe he was being too insistent.

Water stared at Multi’s hand for a little longer and finally stepped forward, holding it. “Okay, I guess.”

“Thanks.” Multi’s smile widened even more.

Holding their hands up at shoulder-level, the fire ghoul placed his other hand on Water’s upper back, bringing him a little closer while the bassist shyly rested his free hand on Multi’s shoulder. The melodic tune of the song and their current proximity made Water feel his face heating up, his only relief being the fact that Multi couldn’t see his face behind the mask, but he certainly could feel Water’s hand starting to sweat. 

Despite the bassist’s awkwardness, there was something addictive about the tender look in Multi’s brown eyes and Water couldn’t look away from them. He felt his heart racing and unconsciously held his own breath a few times during their slow dance. Water hadn’t realized how close they were getting at every step until he felt his chest pressing against Multi’s and their faces mere inches apart.

_ I slithered here from Eden just to hide outside your door _

The song was over, but the ghouls didn’t move away, they stayed in the same position, only Multi’s hand on Water’s back had slipped up a little beneath the bassist’s shirt, but Water didn’t seem to mind; his own hand was now cupping the side of Multi’s neck anyways.

Water wasn’t sure of how long they stayed like that, motionless and only staring deep into each other’s heavy-lidded eyes. When he instinctively licked his lips and courage finally built up inside him, the next song in the record started to play, causing him to flinch and making him doubt what he was just about to do. Water dropped his gaze and Multi seemed to notice the ghoul’s hesitation, so the guitarist gently stepped away and approached the turntable.

“So, did you like the song?” Multi’s tone was casual.

“Uh, yes.” Water said after some contemplation. “I don’t usually listen to calm songs like that, but this one is beautiful.”

“I guess I’m an eclectic ghoul.” Multi stated with a smile as he removed the vinyl from the player and put it back inside the cover.

“It’s just funny that you like this song when the lyrics mention things like Eden. We’re ghouls.” Water mentioned when he recalled the lyrics.

“True, but it’s just as funny how there are some ghouls who are more like angels than actual demons.” Multi retorted with a wink and Water felt lost at words, his heart skipping a beat since he felt that Multi’s words meant something else.

They stayed silent for a few moments while Multi went through his vinyl collection, but Water felt like the fire ghoul wasn’t paying much attention to the records anyways, he looked very distracted. The bassist didn’t know how to proceed and he waited for Multi to say something, but it seemed like Multi was also waiting for any word or action from Water.

He’d like to stay for a little longer, their brief dance felt nice enough and Water would like to try more things, but at the same time, he wasn’t confident in voicing his wishes. However, he thought to himself that if Multi invited him to stay the night he’d accept this time.

“T-thanks for spending some time with me, I think I feel ready to go to bed now.” Water said hoping that Multi could guess his intentions somehow.

“It’s always a pleasure to do things together with you, Water.” Multi smiled at him and shoved his hands into his pockets, his posture looking pretty relaxed.

“Y-you too...” Water replied with a grin and waited for the other to keep talking, but Multi didn’t.

If he was being completely honest with himself, Water was secretly wishing that Multi would ask him to stay, but since the fire ghoul didn’t, the bassist went through a brief internal conflict. Should he ask Multi if he could sleep there? Wouldn’t that be too intrusive and straight forward? What if Multi was just waiting for Water to take the next step?

Water had so many questions… But he probably wouldn’t get the answers he wanted that night. Sighing in disappointment at his lack of initiative, Water said with a weak voice, sounding tired. “Guess I will go now.”

Multi stared at him for a second as if he was waiting for something, but when he noticed that Water wouldn’t say anything else, Multi scratched his nape and guided Water to the door, “hey,” he held one of Water’s hands when the bassist was about to leave, “can I kiss you goodnight?”

Water blinked a few times, he wasn’t sure he heard it right. He felt his heart suddenly beating fast again, just like when they were slow dancing a few minutes ago. Water’s green eyes were bright with hope and he didn’t even realize when he nodded so eagerly. Smiling at him, satisfied with the ghoul’s reply, Multi held the bassist’s face, bringing it closer so he could kiss his rosy lips.

Only then Water let out the air that he had held in his lungs, breathing hotly into Multi’s mouth, who forthwith slipped his forked tongue inside, twisting it together with Water’s. They explored and tasted each other’s mouths for a few seconds, but it didn’t matter how long it lasted, Water could at least say that it felt right.

At some point they had to pause to catch their breath. Water couldn’t hold back a grin, but at the same time he couldn’t bring himself to look in Multi’s eyes, such was his embarrassment. At least this time it was not a feeling of mortification, he just felt overwhelmed by how nice his night was. Listening to songs with Multi, getting to know his collection, dancing with him and then… kissing him. Water felt happy about how things between them were going.

“This was...” Water tried to find words to describe how he felt.

“A nice way to wish good night?” Multi completed and they both chuckled. “I liked it too.”

“I should go now...” The bassist said and slowly moved away still wanting their moment to last for a little longer.

Leaning his side against the door frame, Multi watched Water walk in the direction of his room and spoke one last time. “Sweet dreams, Water.”

The bassist nodded back at him with a smile. Water was confident that he would indeed have the sweetest dreams that night.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Serenade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just like human beings, there's no one single purely good ghoul devoid of sin. Some of them have very obvious flaws, others are more subtle. They're able to do both good and evil.
> 
> On a more positive note, Multi knows pretty well how to serenade and impress others and Water seems to feel even more enchanted by the guitarist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The events from this chapter are supposed to be very special to the main characters, so I hope you'll enjoy it too despite the controversial beginning.
> 
> The lyrics quoted in this chapter and also the previous one are from Hozier's song "From Eden"
> 
> Thanks to @evapunk333 for betaing this!

It’d been five minutes since the Morning Mass had started and Multi was still running down the aisles until he reached the Church. He’d slept for longer than he had planned, hearing his stomach rumbling on his way to the mass, but he had to hurry since Sister Imperator was always so strict regarding the ghoul’s punctuality. So he’d have to leave breakfast for later.

When he finally arrived at the Church, Multi silently entered and looked for a seat, his eyes quickly roaming the benches until he could spot a familiar ghoul or ghoulette. When he saw Water in one of the rows at the front, Multi smiled widely. But before he could even approach the ghoul, Multi noticed that Aether and Dewdrop were already sitting next to the bassist. 

Pouting, Multi continued his search. He also saw the ghoulettes, but there was no empty seat near them and Multi was starting to feel worried that Sister Imperator would notice him standing in a corner. However, when he spotted a tall ghoul alone only a couple rows ahead of him Multi decided to go sit next to him. 

“Morning, Earth!” Multi whispered when he finally sat beside the drummer, but there was no response from him. “Hm?” Multi took a better look at the ghoul’s face, or his mask at least, and noticed that Earth’s eyes were closed.

Snorting, Multi looked away from the ghoul and decided to pay attention to whatever nonsense Papa Nihil was babbling at the moment.  _ Smart Earth _ , he thought to himself. The masses were always boring to Multi and he’d like to try taking a nap in the middle of it to pass the time too, but he was afraid that Imperator would catch him. Multi didn’t trust his skills of sleeping in crowded areas, but Earth seemed to be a pro.

However, as the mass went on, Multi was getting impatient by the minute, his leg bouncing and his fingers tapping the wooden bench he was sitting on. Masses were not his thing, he honestly preferred to be anywhere else at that moment, but when he heard Earth softly snoring an idea crossed his mind and he couldn’t fight back a smirk.

Looking down the drummer’s long legs, Multi noticed that Earth was wearing his casual shoes, a pair of a classic black and white All Star, which happened to be poorly tied. Multi carefully reached down to Earth’s feet and tied the laces together with a tight knot. He had to suppress a giggle then scooted closer to the drummer, getting close to Earth’s ear and whispered, “Earth, wake up! Someone set fire to your greenhouse!”

The tall ghoul’s eyes immediately opened as he jolted up from his seat, his head spinning from the sudden move. “WHAT?!” He shouted way too loudly. Everyone in the room looked at him, even Nihil stopped talking and Imperator stared daggers in his direction.

Before anyone could say anything, Earth started to walk in the direction of the exit, worried about what could be happening in his greenhouse. But as soon as he tried to move a leg his feet wouldn’t cooperate as they were stuck in place. The drummer ended up falling on the floor, causing the room to fill up with shocked gasps from the other ghouls. 

Only Multi was watching the scene in amusement, trying his best to cover the hole of his mask to hide the grin on his lips. At least he got a distraction from the boring mass.

"GHOUL!" Imperator's voice was loud and angry. Everyone shut their mouth and turned their attention back to her as she walked toward the fallen ghoul at a fast pace. "What do you think you're doing?!" 

"I-I-... Sister, I-" Still on the floor Earth tried to form any coherent sentence, but he was still too confused. "My greenhouse…"

"Excuse me, Sister," Multi interrupted Earth and won Imperator's attention, "I apologize on behalf of my bandmate, but I suppose he just had a disturbing dream while he was napping in the middle of the mass." 

Multi got up from his seat and came to Earth's rescue, reaching out a hand to help him stand up, but the drummer wouldn’t accept his fake aid and stood up on his own after untying his shoe laces. The tall ghoul brushed the dust off his trousers, feeling embarrassed by all the stares in his direction.

The naughty glisten in Multi's eyes was enough to make Earth realize that it was all Multi's fault. The tall ghoul felt angry and disappointed at the same time, but he didn't show any sign of how he felt, he just ignored Multi and bowed to Sister Imperator.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, Sister. I didn't mean to disturb the mass." Earth said, too ashamed to look up at the woman or at any of the other ghouls.

"You're dismissed for the time being, ghoul. But you must go meet me in the office after mass." She said with an infuriated look in her eyes, her tone harsh. 

Earth felt a shiver down his spine, but he nodded in obedience nonetheless. He glanced one last time at Multi before he dropped his gaze and left the church. 

"Enough of the show. Let's resume the mass!" Imperator announced and made her way back to the altar.

Multi looked to the front in time to see Water staring at him, so he greeted the bassist with a wave of his hand, the ghoul gesturing back at him. However, Multi noticed that Dewdrop was also looking at him, but with a less friendly stare, probably realizing that Multi had played a prank on Earth.

But Multi couldn't care less about what Dewdrop thought. He just shrugged and sat back on the bench, waiting for the mass to be finally over.

***

It was nighttime and Water had just finished his bath. He wore a white fluffy bathrobe and used a towel to dry his hair while he stood in front of the mirror in his room. He then took his time running a comb through his silky hair, the sweet smell of his shampoo and conditioner filling the air every time he smoothed his dark locks.

When he was done with it and stepped closer to his wardrobe to get a change of clothes, Water heard a sound coming from outside his room, which happened to be in the third floor of the building. He put on his mask and approached the window, looking down only to spot a ghoul playing acoustic guitar in the yard. 

To Water's surprise he quickly recognized the ghoul, especially when he heard his soothing voice singing a now familiar song to his ears.

_ Babe, there's something tragic about you _

_ Something so magic about you _

_ Don't you agree? _

_ Babe, there's something lonesome about you _

_ Something so wholesome about you _

_ Get closer to me _

"Multi…?" Water whispered to himself more as a confirmation of who he was seeing down there. 

The bassist didn't want to assume anything, but it felt like Multi was singing directly to him, like he meant the lyrics or at least part of them. Water felt his cheeks tingling and a fluttery feeling in his stomach. He rested his forearms on the edge of the window and paid attention to the ghoul who so joyously serenaded him.

_ Honey you're familiar like my mirror years ago _

_ Idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on it's sword _

_ Innocence died screaming, honey ask me I should know _

_ I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door _

Water noticed how Multi's whole body moved when playing as if the music inside him was searching for an outlet. The bassist felt fascinated by the sweet performance of the ghoul, but he still asked himself if Multi was really out there playing a song for him. Water glanced at the other windows around his own and saw no one else, so there were no doubts left: Multi was really playing and singing for him.

Somehow that filled the bassist's heart with expectations and the flutter in his stomach got so strong that it almost made him feel sick. He wanted to go downstairs and meet Multi in person, maybe he could even invite him to his room. Water didn't know exactly what he should do, but he knew what he  _ wanted _ to do.

Soon the song was over and Multi finished it with a wave. "Good night." He smiled at Water as he headed inside the building.

"Wait!" Water said, but the fire ghoul didn't hear him. 

The warm feeling inside the bassist was replaced by nervousness. He didn't want to miss another opportunity to make his intentions clear to Multi. But what should he do?

Water didn't even bother getting dressed as he left his room, his body moving on its own. When he finally realised what he was doing, he was then running down the corridor looking for Multi, not even caring that his bare feet were stepping on the cold tiles. 

As soon as Water turned a corner he saw Multi in front of his room, guitar in hand, ready to open the door. Water felt like his heart was about to escape through his mouth, but he managed to say, "WAIT!" and his unusual loud voice caught the fire ghoul's attention.

"Hey, Water!" Multi turned to face him and tried to hide his confusion when he noticed the bassist barefoot and wearing only a bathrobe and mask. "You okay?"

Water finally reached him and stopped running, placing his hands on both knees to catch his breath. He wasn't used to running and it showed, but he didn't care about that minor detail at the moment. 

"Can I come in?" Water finally said after some thinking. He knew that he'd regret not taking the next step.

Multi gave him a warm grin and opened the door of his room. "Whenever you want." He took the opportunity to hold Water's hand and led him inside. 

Once the door was closed the ghouls made eye contact, their hands still linked. It was only then that Water finally started to realize the situation he was in. He did it, he had gone after Multi and now they were alone in the privacy of the fire ghoul’s room. Looking away for a second, Water glanced at the bed beside them. Reading between the lines, Multi placed his guitar in the support near the wall and went to sit on the mattress, waiting for the bassist to do the same.

And Water did. Once again he was able to fight back his tension and did just what he wanted to do. Maybe things would work well that night after all. Multi waited for Water to say something first and it didn’t take too long for the bassist to take a deep breath and say:

“I feel ready to… show you my face.” Water stared into Multi’s brown eyes and clutched the edge of his bathrobe.

“So do I.” The fire ghoul promptly replied with a soothing voice while he reached a hand to touch Water’s.

Multi was the first one to move. He untied the back of his mask and removed it, the piece of metal now placed on the nightstand beside the bed. Water was taken aback by the sight of Multi’s face, his attention being immediately drawn to the charming freckles under the ghoul’s eyes and on his nose. He also noticed a light stubble on Multi’s jaw and his dark dreadlocks tied in a bun, but what really caught Water’s eyes was the beautiful, gentle smile on Multi’s full lips. 

The bassist had seen that smile plenty of times, but when it was put together with the whole of Multi’s face it looked even more stunning and Water could only feel mesmerized by everything he saw. He didn’t even have words to properly express himself, so he just kept staring at Multi for a while until the fire ghoul chuckled, amused by the other’s stares. 

“I guess it’s your turn now.” Multi suggested and Water blinked a few times before nodding and removing his own mask.

When Water noticed the look in Multi’s face he asked himself if he had made that exact same face too when he was gazing at the fire ghoul just now, a look of utter admiration and no words to express. Water blushed and nervously put a lock of hair behind his ear as he bit his bottom lip.

“Wow, I’ve never thought a ghoul could look this beautiful.” Multi finally managed to say and reached a hand to touch the side of Water’s face, who instinctively leaned into the contact.

The two ghouls didn’t say anything for a long time, Multi just kept caressing Water’s cheek, taking in the sight of the bassist’s long lashes as they fluttered when he closed his eyes and purred from the enjoyment of Multi’s touch. Multi then couldn’t resist the urge of closing the distance between their faces and touched their foreheads together, which made Water open his green eyes again just to check what the fire ghoul was doing.

Considering their current situation, Water realised that he didn’t have anything to fear anymore. It was clear that Multi was longing for some kind of intimacy with him too, so the bassist pursed his lips and pressed their mouths together. Multi slid his hand to entwine Water’s hair and bring his face even closer, making the water ghoul part his lips to let Multi’s tongue in.

Letting out a relieved, shaky sigh, Water wrapped his arms around Multi’s neck and melted into the kiss, tilting his head a little to the side so their tongues could move deeper into each other’s hot mouths. He felt his body burning when one of Multi’s hands trailed up his thigh, squeezing it slightly while the fire ghoul prompted his body forward, making Water slowly fall back on the mattress.

Water parted his legs so Multi could accommodate himself between them and press their bodies together. They moved their faces away gasping for air for a bit and in the next second Multi lowered his head to kiss Water’s neck. The bassist noticed Multi gently pulling on the sleeve of his bathrobe, exposing Water’s shoulder, so he decided to pause for a moment.

“Wait...” Water whispered and carefully pushed Multi away, making the fire ghoul sit back on his heels.

“Do you want me to slow things down or just stop?” Multi asked worried that he was pushing the bassist’s boundaries.

Water appreciated the ghoul’s concern, but he just shook his head slightly as he led his hands to untie the fabric belt of his robe, and his face turned crimson. Multi watched attentively while Water finally opened the robe he was wearing, revealing his naked slender body and the excitement between his legs.

The exposure made Water feel a bit embarrassed, but the look in Multi’s face soon made his worries vanish. The fire ghoul eyed every visible inch of Water’s body until he met the bassist’s gaze, noticing a glisten of desire mixed with the green.

“Do you want to...” Multi tried to ask, but Water quickly nodded in response already knowing what the question would be.

“Yes, please.” 

Multi showed him a discreet smile before removing the clothes he was wearing, tossing away his shirt and trousers, making only his own skin visible to Water’s eyes. The bassist took his time admiring Multi’s body in front of him. The fire ghoul placed a hand on Water’s waist and felt goosebumps rising to the surface of the bassist’s skin. Water trailed a hand up Multi’s arm, enticing him to come closer.

Leaning forward, Multi kissed the hollow between Water’s collarbones as the bassist wrapped his arms around Multi’s neck and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of Multi’s lips being dragged up his neck and jaw. It didn’t take long for the ghouls to start rubbing their bodies against each other, the motion causing their sensitive cocks to brush together.

Water stroked up and down Multi’s back while the fire ghoul kissed his lips again, tasting every corner of the bassist’s mouth and sucking his tongue. Soon their kiss became noisy and loud, being preceded by their heavy sighs. Multi propped himself up on one elbow and ran a hand down Water’s chest, over his stomach down to his groin, and felt the bassist wriggling slightly beneath him when he finally grabbed Water’s cock.

Moving his hand at a slow pace, Multi moved his face away just enough to look into Water’s eyes. The bassist was having a hard time keeping his eyes open every time Multi teased his slit. He wrapped his arms around the fire ghoul’s neck and pulled him closer so he could bury his face into the ghoul’s shoulder to hide his flushed face and muffle his moans. 

The low noises coming from Water made Multi’s own erection twitch, begging to be touched too, so he decided to move his lower body to the side, straddling one of Water’s thighs, and started moving his hips in time with his hand stroking the bassist’s cock. However, Multi soon let go of Water and sat up, placing a hand behind himself while he used the other to tug at his own length.

Water opened his eyes again when he noticed the absence of Multi’s big hand around him and he focused on the fire ghoul riding his thigh, his brown eyes fixed on Water’s through heavy eyelids. The sight sent shivers down Water’s spine and his desire for Multi only increased. Multi treated him gently, his kisses were addictive, his hands were warm and skilled and Water couldn’t stop thinking about how good it’d be to feel Multi inside him too.

Lowering his gaze down Multi’s torso, Water dragged his other knee up and reached a hand to touch himself while he trailed his slender fingers up his chest and caressed a sensitive nipple. Multi watched him the whole time, seeing Water licking his reddish lips while his green eyes were focused on the fire ghoul’s cock leaking pre-cum. Multi couldn’t hold back a smirk before closing his eyes again to focus on the pleasure he was feeling and also on the wet sounds of Water stroking himself.

“Multi...” Water’s voice was low and sounded more like a whimper. 

When Multi opened his eyes he saw Water’s hips bucking up into his hand before the bassist propped himself on an elbow and let go of his cock, using his now free hand to hold Multi’s wrist and pulled him down into a kiss. The fire ghoul moaned against Water’s mouth and felt the bassist’s hand cupping the back of his neck, bringing his face even closer, their lips tightly pressed while their tongues rubbed against each other’s.

They broke the kiss with a loud sucking sound and Water purred into Multi’s ear, “Please… let’s do it now...?” Multi shivered when Water’s hot breath reached his skin.

“Of course.” The fire ghoul whispered back, pleased by the bassist’s obvious desire.

Crawling back on the mattress, Multi turned his body to the side, reached the drawer beside the bed and grabbed a bottle of lube. “Want me to do it or would you rather do it yourself?” Multi asked while swinging the bottle and caressing Water’s thigh.

“You...” The bassist nodded and prompted his face forward to peck Multi’s lips before lying down again.

Multi positioned himself between Water’s legs, coated his fingers with lube and placed his other hand in the middle of the bassist’s chest, so he could support his weight as he lifted his hips and reached his wet fingers behind. 

However, as soon as Water noticed what Multi was going to do, he said, “Wait!”

“Yes?” Multi stopped right away.

“What are you doing?” 

Confused by Water’s question, Multi tilted his head and frowned. “Huh? I was going to prepare myself…?”

“B-but...” The bassist sat up. “I thought you’d do that to me.”

“Oh.” Multi finally understood the confusion. “Don’t you want to be on top?”

“I… I’ve never… It’s always been the other way around.” Water dropped his gaze and felt sudden embarrassment. 

His whole life Water had always been the one receiving and, since he felt comfortable enough having sex that way, he rarely thought about how changing dynamics would be like. He was afraid to ruin the moment if he didn’t deliver an expected performance. What if it was too awkward? The last thing he wanted that night was to disappoint Multi.

“I see. In that case I can be your first one if you want.” Multi showed him a soft smile and kissed him briefly. 

“I-I’m not sure, I...” Water averted the fire ghoul’s eyes and scratched his nape. Maybe they could try that another day, but right at that moment he just wanted the rest of the night to be as perfect as it was already being. “Sorry...” 

“Hey, don’t worry, it’s completely fine.” Multi lifted Water’s chin and gave him a peck. “I’m okay doing pretty much anything, so let me do it for you.” He looked into Water’s eyes and waited for a response from the bassist, who soon smiled back at him and nodded.

They laid on their side, Water placed a leg on top of Multi’s and dragged it up to give enough room for the fire ghoul to circle his entrance with a slippery digit. Multi pressed their lips together every now and then while working a finger inside Water. As a way to distract the bassist from the initial discomfort, Multi deepened the kiss when he felt that Water was ready for a second finger, making the bassist arch his back and whimper into Multi’s mouth.

The fire ghoul was very careful and gently dragged his fingers in a come-hither motion, Water slightly wriggling against his sides while he squeezed Multi’s hips with his leg on top. While fingering the bassist, Multi slowly kissed Water’s face and dragged his lips up to the ghoul’s ear, gently sucking on his earlobe. The sensation sent through Water’s body and made him dig his nails in Multi’s shoulder at the same time that he let out a moan louder than he expected.

Amused by the other’s reaction, Multi nibbled Water’s earlobe while suggestively humming into his ear as he inserted a third finger. That was the moment when Water started moving his hips oh his own, rocking down against Multi’s fingers, which were long and thick, filling the bassist up, even though Water craved for more.

Multi slowly pulled his fingers out and smirked when he heard Water complaining. He then grabbed the bottle of lube again and poured some of it onto his cock, stroking himself a few times.

“Would you ride me?” The fire ghoul asked in a whisper while caressing the side of Water’s neck. “I want you to be in control as much as possible.”

“Alright, I can do that.” The bassist said and, not wanting to waste any more time, rolled Multi on his back so he could straddle him.

However, the surprised look in Multi’s face made Water overthink his last action for a second, afraid that he had been too hasty. Sure he was eager for what they were going to do, but at the same time he didn’t want to look too desperate. “Sorry, is this okay?”

“It’s more than okay.” Multi chuckled. “I love spontaneity.” He stroked Water’s thighs in reassurance. “You ready?”

They locked eyes and Water nodded, placing a hand on Multi’s chest to support his weight while lifting his hips, carefully holding Multi’s cock to guide it to his entrance. The fire ghoul hissed slightly when he felt the head being pressed against Water’s hole and soon the bassist lowered himself onto the other’s cock, enveloping him inch by inch with much care. 

Water had closed his eyes without even realizing, focusing on the feeling of finally being completely filled by Multi. He let out a heavy sigh, or maybe a moan, and licked his lips before opening his eyes again. He saw Multi looking up at him with a satisfied smile, which caused Water’s face to turn a lovely shade of red. 

The bassist finally started moving with no rush, bending down to tenderly kiss Multi’s full lips, but the fire ghoul cupped Water’s face to keep him in place a bit longer, deepening the kiss until they were breathless. Water had not even noticed that the intensity of their kiss made him move his hips faster. 

Soon they broke the kiss to catch their breath and, while the bassist returned to his initial position, he dragged a hand down Multi’s chest to rest on the fire ghoul’s toned stomach. Water’s fingers caressed a hard nipple on the way down, making Multi’s hips buck up against the other’s ass. The ghoul moaned loudly when he felt his sweet spot being hit.

Water felt so light in Multi’s lap, their differently built bodies presenting an interesting contrast. Despite the bassist being a bit smaller than Multi, there was a lot of force in his slender body and Water knew how to use it to move with some more intensity, burying Multi’s length deeper and deeper into himself. His blood was boiling and he felt dizzy, but it was such a good feeling for the bassist.

When Multi saw a lock of hair falling over the side of Water’s face, covering pretty much half of it, he said between pants, “Water-- oh! Let me- yes… Let me see you...” 

Grabbing the side of Water’s thighs, Multi moaned and arched his back, the tightness and warmth surrounding his cock felt impossibly good and he knew that soon he’d climax. The bassist was flushed from his chest to the tips of his ears, his mouth hanging open for a moment before he bit his pink bottom lip. He put the lock of dark, wavy hair behind his ear and observed the smile of Multi’s face widening.

“That’s better… I love your face- ah!” 

Water felt his heart skip a beat, not only because of Multi’s words, but also because of the whole situation, their current intimacy, the time they’d been spending together for the past month, how Multi seemed to find Water interesting and care for him… Everything was working so well and Water felt his heart full of joy. Being with Multi did so good for him.

The fire ghoul reached one of Water’s hands and intertwined their fingers together as he pulled the bassist down to kiss him passionately, thrusting his hips up and hitting the ghoul’s prostate once again. Water accidentally bit Multi’s bottom lip when he felt the stimulation, but before he could move his face away to apologise, Multi smiled against his lips and slid a hand between their bodies to touch Water’s cock, which was dripping pre-cum at that point.

In any other day Water would feel embarrassed for the obscene sound he let out, but right at that moment he was so absorbed in pleasure that he couldn’t care less. And Multi seemed to enjoy eliciting such loud reactions from the bassist, which only helped increase his own arousal. 

Water was close, he could tell by the increasing trembling of his thighs, so his movements got even faster, despite not being rough. There was some tenderness in the way he was grinding his hips. Multi kept tugging on Water’s hard cock following the bassist’s pace and, when he noticed Water closing his eyes and throwing his head back graciously, it only took Multi a few more strokes to make the other cum on his hand.

The fire ghoul caressed Water’s length for a while, helping him through his orgasm. The bassist slowed down the movements of his hips, focusing on taking Multi deeper, soon being filled by him, who came not long after. Exhausted, Water stopped riding the ghoul a minute later and tried to breathe properly again before lifting himself from Multi’s lap, a hot streak of cum running down his inner thigh.

Collapsing over Multi, Water buried his face into the other’s neck, not even caring about the sticky mess between their bodies. Multi led a hand to fondle the bassist’s back, kissing the top of his head and nuzzling his wavy hair, which was now untidy.

“Wow, Water. That was great...” Multi whispered. “How do you feel?”

“Amazing…” Water’s words were almost completely muffled by Multi’s skin. “But I’m also very, very tired...” His voice trailed off. 

“It’s alright, I’ll spare you the trouble of cleaning up, getting dressed and walking back to your room.” Multi chuckled and hugged the bassist, rolling them to the side. 

“Guess I will have to sleep here tonight.” With his eyes closed, Water smiled, a peaceful expression on his face that made him look angelic.

“Yeah...” Multi smiled back and kissed Water’s cheek before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep with the bassist in his arms.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so soft for ghouls revealing their faces to each other 🥺
> 
> Aaand things start to get more serious in the next chapter


	5. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator seemed very satisfied with the positive responses of the band’s first shows to promote the new album, so they decided to hold a special dinner in celebration. 
> 
> But... Multi is just too inconvenient.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry but it's time to introduce some angst. It has always been in the tags, you've been warned 😶
> 
> Thanks to @evapunk333 for beta-ing this chapter <3

Every ghoul from the band caught the hints that Multi and Water’s relationship had changed over the past days. The two ghouls couldn’t stay away from each other, most of the time they were either spotted, or coincidentally, disappeared together to do Satan knew what. 

One thing was for certain, both Multi and Water had been in their best mood lately.

But the ghouls were not the only ones in a good mood, Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator seemed very satisfied with the positive responses of the band’s first shows to promote the new album, so they decided to hold a special dinner in celebration. Usually only the current frontman and the high clergy were present in these types of celebrations, but this time even the band ghouls and ghoulettes were invited over.

They agreed that the dinner would happen a few days before the band had to get back on the road and, when the day finally arrived, all ghouls, ghoulettes, and Cardinal Copia headed together to the Abbey’s special saloon. Once they entered they were met with a huge dome above their heads and colonnades, the baroque architecture made even more evident by the golden, dramatic decorations, sculptures and paintings.

The ghouls had never been in the special saloon before, not even Aether, Earth and Dewdrop, who had been summoned long before the other ghouls, so their jaws dropped at its magnificence. 

Water couldn’t lower his head or blink since he was too busy staring at the cluster of sculpted demons crowding the ceiling. He even felt dizzy after a while and, as he tried to follow the others, he bumped into Multi’s back. The collision made Water’s nose behind the mask hit against the hard metal. The sensation was uncomfortable and he felt the urge to rub his nose, but he couldn’t lift his mask in public like that, so he could only wait for the pain to go away.

“Sorry!” The bassist immediately stepped back and apologized.

“It’s fine, _ babe _ !” Multi chuckled and put an arm around the other’s shoulders. “I can’t blame you for being distracted by the beauty of this place.”

_ Babe? _ The nickname echoed in Water’s thoughts as they headed to the big table in the middle of the saloon. He blushed behind his mask, not quite knowing how to feel about being called something that sounded so intimate. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Multi probably meant by calling him that. Did Multi want to take another step in their relationship? Was he just being gentle? Water wasn’t sure, but he felt his stomach fluttering.

Soon the ghouls approached Sister Imperator and Papa Nihil and politely greeted them. There were also some siblings of sin around who led them to their respective places at the table. Papa Nihil and Cardinal Copia sat one at each end, Imperator was next to Nihil, on his right side.

There was an empty seat between Imperator and Blizzard. Breeze, Aether and Dewdrop sat next to the ghoulette. Water sat in front of Blizzard, Multi in front of Breeze and Earth was facing Dewdrop, leaving an empty seat between the drummer and Multi. 

“Why don’t you come closer?” Multi curiously asked Earth, but the tall ghoul just stared at him for a second before looking down at his plate, not saying a single word.

Multi found it odd until he remembered that Earth wasn’t a ghoul of many words anyway, so he just shrugged it off and turned his attention back to Water on his other side. 

“Do you think they’ll serve dessert later?” The bassist asked. That was a special occasion, Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator were present and wouldn’t allow any bad food, right? Maybe Water would be able to taste the best sweets ever!

“I bet they will.” Multi replied with a smile and took Water’s hand in his, placing them over his thigh.

Water looked down at their hands, his heart felt too agitated, but he managed to smile back at the fire ghoul and squeezed their hands.

Two siblings of sin approached the table and started pouring champagne in their glasses. When they were done Sister Imperator got up from her chair and started talking, her voice catching everyone’s attention.

“Good evening, Papa,” She bowed to the old man. “Cardinal Copia,” she politely nodded at him, “ghouls and ghoulettes. We gather here to celebrate the success of the band until this point.” She lifted her glass. “This is the beginning of a new era for the clergy. We’ve been going through several changes lately, but everything happens to serve one purpose: to fulfill the Dark Lord’s plans!”

The woman’s tone was assertive and everyone looked at her in silence, no one dared to interrupt her, not even Papa Nihil.

“Papa and I have high expectations for the continuation of your work, Cardinal.” She glanced at the man. “We’d like not to be disappointed, so we hope that our display of gratitude will encourage you all to keep up the good work. All of you.” She eyed every ghoul and ghoulette and Water felt intimidated by her piercing eyes. “Now a word from Papa himself.” She turned to face him.

The old man stayed in his seat, lifting a hand with the sign of benediction. “I make Sister’s words my own.” He smiled at the others, but didn’t say anything more.

Everyone waited for a while, but Papa just kept smiling at them, so the ghouls discreetly exchanged confused looks until Imperator approached the old man to ask:

“Papa, don’t you have any more to say?”

“No.” He shook his head. “You already said it all and I’m starving. Can we eat now?” Papa Nihil excitedly took fork and knife in hand, looking up at Imperator in expectation.

Some of the ghouls, like Multi and Dewdrop, tried their best to muffle a chuckle, but Imperator heard them and quickly turned her face to stare daggers at them. The ghouls pretended they hadn’t done anything and went silent again, waiting for the unfolding of the events.

Tired, the woman cleared her throat and announced, obviously displeased, “Now the celebration shall begin.” 

Imperator lifted her glass once again and the others did the same, taking a sip of champagne. Once Imperator sat down in her chair the siblings of sin served the luxurious meal. None of the ghouls had seen a dish like that before and they couldn’t tell all the ingredients that composed the food. 

In Hell ghouls usually hunted and ate raw meat. Some clans lived in less hostile areas where the soil was good enough for planting, like water and earth tribes, the latter feeding exclusively on greens and fruits.

The smell of the food filled Water’s nostrils, he was curious to try the dish, so when Copia took the first bite the ghouls were allowed to touch their food. Water looked at the others and noticed Dewdrop eagerly munching, being the first one to attack the food. Aether looked at him a bit shocked judging by his wide eyes visible through the mask hole. Water then noticed the rhythm guitarist discreetly talk to his boyfriend.

“What is this?” Aether asked.

“Some fucking good pork.” Dewdrop replied with his mouth still full. 

“Uh...” 

Water watched as Aether exchanged looks with Earth and the bassist found himself confused for a second before he remembered that both ghouls didn’t eat meat, noticing that neither Aether or Earth had touched their food. Imperator had been observing the ghouls too and when she realized that they hadn’t started eating yet she decided to ask:

“You don’t like the food, ghouls?”

“Fuck, it’s delicious!” Dewdrop mindlessly replied as he lifted a fork with a piece of meat before shoving it into his mouth. Aether nudged him in the ribs, but the lead guitarist just shrugged and turned his attention back to his plate.

“Apologies, Sister,” Aether politely said. “It’s just that my mate and I don’t eat meat.” He gestured towards Earth.

“Oh, I see. How unfortunate.” The woman faked a pitiful tone and went back to eating.

Aether and Earth exchanged another disappointed look and decided to stick to the side dish only, there were some leaves and potatoes. It was not enough to make them full, but there were no other options anyway.

“How do you like the food?” Multi’s voice caught Water’s attention.

“Oh, I haven’t tried it yet.” Water realized since he had been too distracted paying attention to Aether and Earth. The bassist finally ate a bit of the dish, and quickly concluded that it was one of the best things he had ever tasted. “It’s really good!” 

“Right? I wish our daily meals could be always this nice.” Multi took another bite and glanced at Earth. “You’re missing out.” He used his fork to point at the drummer.

“Don’t talk to me, please.” Earth quietly replied, his gaze fixed on the leaves in his plate.

Multi snorted and shook his head. Once again Water felt confused, he couldn’t understand why his bandmates were behaving like that. “What happened?” He asked.

“Nothing, Earth is just boring.” 

The bassist felt like there was something more to the story, but he was afraid that he could be meddling their business if he asked any further, so he decided to leave it to another time. The celebration was supposed to be something for them all to enjoy. It was actually the first time that they had gathered together to do something like that, so it was a special occasion.

After a while the siblings of sin came back to pour wine in their glasses. Water heard a cheerful humming coming from Breeze on the other side of the table when she took a sip of the beverage. The bassist knew that the ghoulette enjoyed drinking and if she approved the wine it only meant that it was a really good one. 

Water didn’t consider himself an avid drinker, but he enjoyed some alcoholic drinks every now and then. He brought his glass close to his face and took in the scent, closing his eyes and smelling an inviting fruity aroma before he finally drank the wine. It tasted sweet, just like Water loved. 

Placing the glass back on the table, Water licked his lips and, as he retreated his hand, his fingers accidentally hooked on the thin base of the glass, pulling it and making it tip to the side. The liquid was spilled out of the glass and a huge red stain grew as the wine was absorbed by the white tablecloth.

Water froze in place, especially when he felt that someone was laying eyes on him, so when he discreetly looked up across the table he noticed Sister Imperator reproachfully glaring at him. The bassist gulped, feeling too embarrassed to do anything. Out of nervousness, he only managed to whisper an apology, but it was barely audible.

A sibling of sin approached him to try minimizing the stain and placed a piece of cloth over it. None of the ghouls seemed to mind what happened, they were all busy eating and drinking.

Except for Multi, who let out a snort and said, "You're so clumsy! Remember when you fell on stage in the first show of the tour?" He giggled and resumed eating.

Water sunk in his chair after hearing what Multi said. He was clumsy indeed, too clumsy. He often put himself in embarrassing situations, he was always the ungainly one… Multi only said the truth, but it made Water feel deeply hurt and he almost felt like crying. He just wanted to go back to the dorms and hide under the sheets for a whole week.

Intrusive thoughts filled his mind. He started mentally scolding himself for being so exaggerated, but he just couldn't pretend that Multi's words didn't upset him. Water just couldn't bring himself to look at or talk to anyone for the rest of the night. He just kept gazing at his unfinished meal, but he didn't feel like eating anymore.

He only dared looking up at Multi when the ghoul placed a hand on his shoulder. "You full already?" Multi glanced at Water's plate. "They're serving the sweets now, like you've been expecting." 

Multi smiled and got up from his chair. He took Water's hand and pulled him up to bring him over to the table of desserts.

"Wow, there are so many options! What will you pick first?" Multi asked while scanning the table.

Water looked down at their hands and, unlike earlier that night when Multi did the same thing, he didn't feel comfortable as he still wanted to go back to his room. Noticing the bassist's silence, Multi glanced at him and saw how awkward the ghoul looked.

"Is there anything wrong, babe?" Multi asked in a worried tone.

Water just shook his head and freed his hand from Multi's hold. He stepped away from him and muttered, "I need to go now…" Water headed toward the exit, catching the other ghouls' attention on his way out.

But he tried not to mind their confused stares too much.

***

Multi was left in confusion when Water exited the saloon. He couldn’t understand why the bassist suddenly looked so nervous and ran away like that, especially when the time that he had most anticipated, the desserts being served, had just come. Multi considered running after the ghoul so he could try to understand what happened, but when he looked to the side and noticed Imperator watching him, he felt like if he left he’d face some unpleasant consequences later.

The woman’s gaze was stern and soon she moved closer to where Multi was standing. “Where did he go?” She asked.

“H-he was feeling ill.” Multi came up with an excuse. He thought maybe that could be the truth after all, but he’d have to find out later.

“He shouldn’t have left without my permission, the celebration hasn’t ended yet.”

“I know, Sister. Please, forgive him.”

Imperator huffed, she wasn’t satisfied but at the same time couldn’t do anything about the bassist at that moment, so she spun on her heels and returned to where Papa Nihil was. Multi worried about Water, but he’d have to wait a little longer before going after the ghoul. He let out a heavy sigh and glanced at the huge variety of sweets before him, noticing a smaller ghoul on the other side of the table.

Dewdrop looked at him with arms crossed over his chest and a glisten of disappointment in his blue eyes. Multi clicked his tongue in annoyance, he knew that Dewdrop had probably seen the moment when Water left and he would be thinking that it was somehow Multi’s fault.

“What now, Dew?” The tall ghoul asked.

“Let’s talk after dinner.” 

“Can we talk now? I’m not busy anyway.”

“No. After dinner.” Dewdrop sounded a bit impatient and made sure to walk away shortly after.

“Whatever...” Multi muttered to himself as he watched the guitarist return to where Aether was.

At the beginning of the evening Multi’s mood was good enough, he was enjoying his time in the celebration, but the past few minutes were so weird and confusing that even he could feel his stress bar rising. Perhaps talking to Dewdrop later was the best idea after all, he didn’t want to risk getting in an argument with the other fire ghoul for being stressed.

He tried to find a way to distract himself until the ghouls were dismissed. Multi would usually stick to Dewdrop and Aether, but the lead guitarist had been treating him coldly for the past weeks. Multi and Aether were on good terms, but the two guitarists were together on the other side of the room and Multi didn’t want to put up with the small grumpy ghoul in that moment.

Sighing, Multi took a glazed raspberry mousse from the table and started eating it while his eyes scanned the saloon. He spotted the ghoulettes chatting in a corner and walked in their direction, but as soon as he noticed Blizzard’s hand sliding up and down Breeze’s thigh, and also judging by their whole body language, how close they were and their eyes locked, the fire ghoul stopped in his tracks and returned to the table of desserts. He knew that the ghoulettes probably wouldn’t like to be disturbed.

He looked to the sides, Copia was busy talking to Sister Imperator and Multi wouldn’t dare interrupt them. He noticed Papa Nihil sitting next to Imperator, but he looked like he was about to fall asleep at any second. Multi snorted and took a final bite of his dessert. He was getting even more frustrated and bored, he just wanted to talk to someone while they had to stay there.

Multi had always been outgoing and could start a conversation with just about anyone on any topic, so he decided to move closer to a brother of sin who had just approached the table to collect a bunch of macarons and bring somewhere else.

“I think we’ve met before…?” Multi said dragging his voice as he tried to recall from where he knew the guy. The brother looked familiar to him.

“We probably have.” The man replied with a discreet smile, glancing up to meet Multi’s brown eyes for a second before he turned his attention back to the macarons.

“Are you allowed to take breaks?” The ghoul asked, placing a hand over the table and relaxing his body language. “I’m looking for company.” He shrugged with a suggestive smile on his lips.

“Oh!” The brother of sin looked up again.

“Only if you’re interested, of course.”

“I-” The guy’s face grew crimson as he tried to give a response. A shy smile appeared on his lips and he put a dark lock of hair behind his ear. “I’d like-” 

“Brother Raphael!” Sister Imperator’s voice was loud. “Where are Papa’s macarons?!” She sounded impatient.

Both Multi and the brother of sin looked in her direction. The smile vanished from the brother’s face and he glanced back at Multi, disappointed.

“Excuse me.” Brother Raphael said and walked away, approaching Imperator and Nihil. “Apologies, Sister Imperator!” 

Multi let out a sigh of discontentment and shoved his hands into his pockets. What would he do now? He gave up on searching for someone to flirt with and everyone was busy or wouldn’t like to be interrupted. He thought maybe he should just sit somewhere and wait until it was time to leave. 

The ghoul was about to head to a fancy bench against a wall when he noticed Earth sitting at one end, looking like he was about to fall asleep. Multi thought that, since his night was taking a boring route, he needed to distract himself somehow and seeing Earth sitting alone on the bench made a few ideas pop in his head. The fire ghoul tried to hide a mischievous smirk and turned his attention back to the table of sweets, his eyes quickly scanning the endless options until he found something that would work perfectly for what he had in mind.

Even though no one seemed to pay attention to Multi, the ghoul tried to be as discreet as possible while collecting a few items from the plates and returning to the dinner table briefly before finally walking toward the sleepy drummer. Multi abruptly sat beside the other ghoul, startling him from his nap.

“Hey there, buddy.” Multi said with a smile, a plate of sweets in one hand and a small spoon in the other.

“Buddy?” Earth asked confused.

“Friend? Pal? Mate? Which one do you prefer?” Multi asked, but the drummer just kept silent and looked away from him. “Are you still mad at me because of what happened in the mass?”

“I’m not mad, I’m disappointed.” Earth confessed, glancing down at his shoes and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Disappointed why? Didn’t I live up to your expectations?” Multi chuckled and leaned back against the wall. “I’m kidding. I want to make it up to you.” He handed the plate to Earth, but the drummer didn’t take it.

Earth took a look at the pudding, it was a bit hollow on the top as if someone had opened a hole and tried to cover it again. “What is this?” He sniffed the pudding and tilted his head, looking at Multi with distrust in his eyes.

“You eat sweets, right?”

“Depending on what they’re made of.”

“It’s so hard to please you.” Multi rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance.

“I don’t want it, thank you.” Earth declined the offer and stretched his limbs, returning to the position he was before Multi bothered him.

The guitarist wasn’t pleased by the other ghoul’s response, he expected Earth to accept the sweet. He  _ had _ to, right? To bring some fun to Multi’s night. 

“C’mon, take it! It’s vegan.” Multi insisted and tried to sound as friendly as possible.

“It’s not.” Earth shook his head. “I know.”

“Don’t be ungrateful! I’m trying to make amends, you should appreciate my efforts.” 

Tired of Multi’s insistence, Earth finally took the plate and the spoon from Multi’s hand, who couldn’t fight back a grin. The tall ghoul dug the center of the pudding with the spoon only to reveal a piece of meat inside. Earth frowned behind his mask.

“This is your way of apologizing?” He stared back at Multi who was now laughing loudly, catching the attention of some of the people near them.

“Aw, you ruined the surprise!” Multi covered the hole of his mask where his mouth was, his shoulders shaking from the laugh he tried to suppress.

“You really think you’re funny, don’t you?” Earth placed the plate over the bench and stood up. “Leave me alone.” He said before walking away.

“You’re already alone the whole time anyway.” Multi shrugged and placed both hands behind his head.

Multi saw when Earth stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. He couldn’t make out the drummer’s facial expression because of the mask, but he noticed a look of utter disappointment in his green eyes before the ghoul resumed walking.

But Multi didn’t feel too bad about it, at least he got a good laugh.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I wanna punish Multi too. Sorry for ruining the softness of the fic, but please don't give up on it! There are some resolutions to come.


	6. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Multi had lived the same life for centuries, it was unnatural for him to change old habits. However, perhaps changes were needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if the previous chapter disappointed some of you, but I have planned a whole arc for Multi's character which is not limited to this fic only. "A Sweet For The Sweetest Ghoul" is just the first step into his character development and I hope you'll be interested in following his progress in future fics too <3
> 
> Thanks to @evapunk333 for beta-ing this chapter!

The bassist’s first thought when he left the saloon was to return to the dorms, but he changed his mind as soon as he spotted his favourite pond on his way to the ghouls’ building. In the midst of the disturbance Water didn’t even realize that he was close by, so he slowed his fast pace and approached the pond.

There were white rocks placed at the edges, the pond was long, but also narrow and there was a little stone bridge crossing it. Being in the presence of water made the bassist feel his heartbeat slow down and his breath go back to normal, a common effect that the element had on water ghouls. He then crouched down and touched the water mirror, the agitation he caused made the carps there move away.

Once he had the chance to wind down, the bassist became absorbed in introspection. He’d like to talk to Multi and clarify what happened. It was just a misunderstanding, even though he now thought that he overreacted, but if it made him feel so bad he should communicate his feelings so this way Multi would know the weight of his words on Water.

Distracted by his own thoughts while connecting with his element, Water didn’t even realize how much time had passed since he arrived at the pond. He felt much more encouraged to look for Multi, maybe the next morning, and tell him how he felt. Not only about what Multi said, there was something more that Water wanted to say and hopefully the outcome would be positive for both of them.

Thinking about what he wanted to say made his heart suddenly flutter and, having already calmed down, Water let a shy smile form in his lips. He got up on his feet and brushed the dirt off his knees, glancing at the pond one last time before turning his back to it and resume walking to the dorms. However, as he spun on his heels, he saw a tall figure approaching him.

“Earth?” The bassist asked just to be sure.

“Uh, are you alright?” The drummer stopped before Water and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Yes, thanks for coming to check on me.”

“Eh… I was actually returning to our building and saw you here by yourself.” 

“Oh! Ah, okay.” Water shyly giggled. “Wait, does it mean that the dinner is over?” He asked and Earth nodded. “Oh, Satan. I really lost track of time.”

“We can walk back together if you want.”

“Sure, thanks.” The bassist smiled at the tall ghoul and they began to walk.

It’d take them a few minutes to arrive at the dorms, especially because Earth moved at a slow pace, he didn’t seem to be in a hurry. Water slowed down to walk together with the drummer, a comfortable silence fell between them on their way. The bassist looked up at the sky and noticed some clouds covering the stars and part of the new moon. The wind blew coldly and Water held his own arms in an attempt to keep himself warm, even though the temperature was not uncomfortable.

“Water…” Earth’s voice broke the silence. “There’s something I’d like to tell you.”

“What is it?” Water glanced up, curious to know what the other had to say.

“I know we don’t talk much, but...” Earth paused, gazing at the path before them. “This is not something I’d usually do, but...” He couldn’t finish the sentence, sounding like he was trying to come up with his next words.

Noticing the drummer’s struggle to keep talking, Water gingerly touched the ghoul’s elbow to catch his attention. “Earth?”

Earth glanced down at Water, a glisten of hesitation in his eyes. He took a deep breath, “I heard what Multi told you earlier and you left soon after that.”

Realizing what Earth was referring to, Water vocalised a surprised ‘oh’ and looked away, embarrassed. “I kind of panicked...” He said almost in a whisper recalling how he felt earlier that night.

“I figured.”

“It was nothing serious, but I will talk to Multi about it.” The bassist smiled, he had already figured out what he would do the next day, so it wasn’t a big deal anymore.

However, as they kept walking, Water noticed that Earth’s body looked stiff, something was obviously making the drummer uncomfortable. Water frowned confused behind his mask and decided to ask, “Do you want to tell me something else, Earth?”

The tall ghoul nibbled on his bottom lip for an instant before he finally said, “Remember the Mass a few days ago? When Imperator came to talk to Multi and I?” 

“Ah, yes! I’m still confused about it, what happened?”

“He didn’t tell you?”

“Who? Multi?” Water asked and Earth nodded. “No...” 

What was Multi supposed to tell Water after all? The bassist suddenly feared what Earth was about to say, but he should listen anyway. It could be important, otherwise Earth would not seem so uneasy about it.

“I don’t know what his problem with me is, but I’m a constant target of his pranks.” Earth sighed heavily.

“What?” Earth’s words caught Water by surprise, making the bassist widen his eyes.

“You never noticed?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t...” Water replied, feeling suddenly ashamed.

The bassist couldn’t believe himself for never having noticed that Multi bothered Earth. How could he be so oblivious to it? If that was the case then what Earth was about to say was possibly related to Multi being mean to him. The thought made Water feel a strange shiver down his spine.

“That day he saw a chance to embarrass me once again,” Earth continued speaking, “I was taking a nap when he tied my shoelaces together and woke me up saying that someone had set my greenhouse on fire.” 

Water looked up at him in shock and made sure to pay close attention to the ghoul’s words. 

“I was startled and went to check what could possibly be happening, but I ended up collapsing on the floor because of my shoelaces. Imperator saw the whole scene and approached us. She wasn’t supposed to know that I was sleeping during mass, but Multi has a big mouth, he had to tell her. Later I had to go to her office to receive a warning.”

“Wait, wait. Multi did what? What did Imperator tell you in her office?”

“She said that if she caught me napping during important events again she’d make sure that Multi’s words were not just a lie.” Earth’s tone was worried. Water couldn’t see his face, but he noticed the grave look in his eyes.

The bassist was speechless. He had no idea that it was Multi's fault since he was far away from the two ghouls when that happened. Water could only remember hearing Imperator's voice, he couldn’t make what Multi or Earth were saying. However, now that he knew that Multi purposely acted to upset the drummer, Water’s heart clenched in sadness.

Dropping his gaze, the bassist felt something stuck in his throat. Multi really did that? What for? What was the purpose of being mean to Earth? The tall ghoul never did anything to harm others...

“I know I’m meddling in your business…” Earth continued. “I swear this is not something I usually do, I just…” He contracted his shoulders and shook his head slightly. “You’re a nice ghoul and don’t deserve to be hurt. Even though we’re not close friends I still care.”

Knowing about all of that made Water feel anxious again. He was biting the inside of his cheeks and thinking that maybe Multi didn't care too much about his feelings after all. There was a big chance that he wouldn't hesitate to make fun of Water or his insecurities again since Multi’s comment on Water’s clumsiness was probably purposeful.

“Thank you, Earth. I can see why you’re telling me this.” Despite being unhappy, Water appreciated the drummer’s honesty. “I’m sorry he treated you like that. It was very unfair.”

“You don’t owe me any apologies. I just wish Multi could stop being unnecessarily mean and causing trouble to others.” 

“I understand… I never noticed those things.” Water said, squeezing his arms around himself.

Soon they arrived at the dorms and entered the building, it was a bit warmer inside and only then Water noticed his cold hands. They went upstairs, their rooms were located in different corridors so when they were about to part ways Earth stopped.

“I’m sorry, Water. I probably ruined the rest of your night.” The tall ghoul said in an apologetic tone.

“It’s fine. I still want to talk to him, but I appreciate your concern.” Water showed him a sympathetic smile. “Maybe you two should talk too.” 

“Maybe...” Earth didn’t sound too convinced, but he nodded.

“I’ve gotta go now. Have a good night, Earth.” Water waved as he took leave.

“You too.”

*** 

Stopping by the door of Dewdrop’s room Multi sighed wondering if he really should be there having a talk with the guitarist about Satan knows what instead of looking for Water to clarify what happened during the dinner. Looking from side to side, Multi finally knocked at the door. He expected to meet Dewdrop, but Aether was the one who opened the door. 

“You came.” The rhythm guitarist stated, relieved. “I will leave you two alone.” He gestured for Multi to enter the room.

Multi nodded and stepped forward, immediately spotting Dewdrop sitting on the edge of his bed, blue eyes looking away from brown ones. Multi glanced back at Aether in confusion, perhaps waiting for an explanation, but the bulky ghoul just sighed and squeezed Multi on the shoulder as he put his mask back on his head.

“Talk to him, please.” Aether said and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Turning his attention back at Dewdrop, Multi crossed his arms and waited for the ghoul to say something. “Sit.” Dewdrop’s voice sounded oddly calm as he patted the mattress.

Multi obeyed and sat next to the lead guitarist, taking off his own mask and placing it beside him. They kept silent for a while and avoided looking at each other, only Dewdrop’s impatient sighs could be heard, sounding like he had a hard time choosing his words and initiating a conversation. That only made Multi feel more confused and curious to know why the small ghoul wanted to talk to him.

“Why did Water leave earlier?” Dewdrop asked at last.

Not expecting that question, Multi put his brain to work in an attempt to find an answer for it even though he wasn’t sure of what Dewdrop wanted to get from him. “I really don’t know,” he shook his head, “and my original plan was to go after him and try to understand what happened, but here I am, you said you wanted to talk.”

“You have no clue? Seriously?” Narrowing his eyes, Dewdrop turned his torso so he could take a better look at the other ghoul. “You didn’t notice how embarrassed he felt when you called him clumsy in front of everybody and reminded him of when he fell on stage?”

Furrowing his brows, Multi tilted his head. “I didn’t mean to make him uncomfortable, I was just trying to make light of the situation so he wouldn’t feel too awkward after spilling wine on the table in front of Nihil and Imperator.” Multi tried to explain, he couldn’t imagine that that comment could cause such trouble.

“Well, obviously it had exactly the opposite effect.” Dewdrop huffed and shook his head in disapproval. Knowing that the lead guitarist could be even meaner and cruel if he wanted, Multi felt bothered and somewhat offended for being treated like that by Dewdrop. 

“Wow, are you calling me out?” Multi asked in disbelief. “Do you really think a harmless joke made him leave earlier?”

“You should take his feelings into consideration before making  _ jokes _ .” 

“Don’t be a hypocrite, you’re not the most sensitive ghoul either.” Multi retorted, a hint of anger in his voice now obvious. 

Dewdrop didn’t immediately reply, keeping a serious face, his lips were a straight line and his brow was furrowed. Multi noticed that the small ghoul was trying not to demonstrate his own irritability. “I know,” he exhaled loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose, a vein twitching on his temple, “can we just have a mature talk for once?!”

Multi felt equally annoyed and he couldn’t wait to end the conversation, but at the same time he also realized that Dewdrop wasn’t planning to intentionally tease him, he had something to say and Multi should listen to him. In fact, Multi found himself already pondering about the joke he had made earlier. What if Dewdrop was right?

“Fine. I’m listening.” The tall ghoul rested his hands on his lap.

Crossing his arms, Dewdrop said, “You still don’t know Water.” 

“Do you?” Multi arched an eyebrow.

He was aware of the fact that Dewdrop had been friends with the bassist for longer than he was, so that statement could actually make sense, however it didn’t prevent Multi from feeling affronted. What did Dewdrop know about his relationship with Water? How could he be so sure that Multi didn’t know much about the bassist?

“More than you do, yes.”

Multi squinted his eyes and paid attention to the look in the small ghoul's face, trying to read his expression. He couldn't tell if Dewdrop was teasing him or not. “This is not a competition, Dew. Are you jealous?” he asked, wondering if that was the case.

Sharing was a common practice between ghouls in hell and they usually kept that habit when they were summoned to the clergy too. Ghouls usually found odd how some humans experienced jealousy since they were not familiarised with the feeling themselves, at least not when it came to relationships. 

“No, of course not," Dewdrop shook his head, actually sounding surprised by Multi's assumption. "I’m just afraid that you might keep hurting him because you’re so insensitive sometimes.” 

Multi's eyes were fixed on Dewdrop's while he digested the ghoul's words. He wasn't even taunting Multi, he only stated facts that the tall ghoul couldn't deny since he agreed that he could be insensitive. However, Multi never intended to hurt Water's feelings. Little by little he realised that he indeed had failed to notice how uncomfortable he made Water feel that evening. Multi knew that he was too proud and stubborn to recognise that he could make mistakes too, he just had the bad habit of putting blame on someone else.

However, now that he realized that his words might've hurt the bassist, he felt genuinely bad. Multi usually didn't mind the consequences of his actions and he hardly apologised, but something felt different this time. He actually cared about what Water would think or feel towards him. 

“I didn’t mean to hurt him…" Multi muttered, a hint of guilt in his voice. "I’d never do that on purpose. To be honest I should be apologizing to him right now, not to you.” 

“I’m not asking for your apologies." Dewdrop replied as he kept eye contact with the other, "but what about Earth?” Multi was confused about the sudden mention of the drummer. What did he have to do with this specific situation? “He doesn’t deserve apologies too?” the small ghoul continued talking. “You keep making him the biggest target for your bad pranks for no reason at all. Have you ever told him ‘I’m sorry’?”

Not being able to answer the question right away, Multi went silent. Earth had never done anything to harm him, he would just mind his own business and, whenever Multi played a prank on the drummer, he never responded on the same coin. There was no reason for Multi to treat Earth like that, only a bad habit that he kept from his time living in the fire clan. They lived on the surface now and there was no need to keep that behaviour, there actually never was, but Multi had lived the same life for centuries, it was unnatural for him to change old habits. However, perhaps changes were needed.

“Why do you care so much?" Multi asked, still feeling a bit reluctant in changing his own mind, "besides, we both know that you are not a role model either.”

“You’re right, I’m not," the small ghoul sighed and stood up, “we’re fire ghouls, we’re usually impulsive and hotheaded. I understand where you come from, I really do," he crossed his arms and looked down at Multi, "but I’ve realized some time ago that if I didn’t change I’d keep hurting myself and others around me and eventually end up alone… And I know how painful loneliness can be.”

Dewdrop's voice drifted off and his eyes avoided Multi's for an instant, there was a blank look on his face, as if he was recalling memories, but soon he shook his head and glanced back at the ghoul sitting in front of him.

"I'm not trying to stop you from getting involved with Water. He doesn’t need protection and he can choose to do whatever he wants.” Dewdrop continued speaking, “Aether helped putting some sense into my mind earlier and…" he exhaled and rolled his eyes in sudden annoyance, "fuck, I don’t hate you, alright? I just don’t want you to feel what I used to in the past too and-”

“Aw… You see me as a friend.” Multi interrupted the other with a smile on his lips. 

The two of them often made each other lose their temper and start arguments, but their relationship wasn't based on quarrels, quite the contrary, they understood how each other felt and thought better than they expected to.

“Shut up! Let me finish!” Dewdrop snarled back at Multi, he didn't usually make his feelings reach the surface so easily, except for when Aether was involved. His face was tinted due to a mix of irritation and embarrassment.

“Okay, okay.” Chuckling, Multi gestured for the ghoul to continue.

“As I was saying, I know you probably like Water for real, so-"

"I love him…" The tall ghoul didn't even let Dewdrop finish his sentence, he just had to correct the other's assumption.

There was silence in the room, the two fire ghouls just staring at each other. Multi had never had real deep connections until then, his past relationships were always superficial and fragile, usually built over momentary interests, but there was something different this time. His relationship with Water made him feel things that he couldn't remember experiencing before. Sure, Multi had always been the romantic type since he could remember, but he never got deeply attached, not like he was with the bassist. And he'd like to not screw up what they already had.

He cared for Water and his well being, Water's opinion on him was important too, he just couldn't get enough of the bassist. He wanted to share a deeper connection with him, not just casual hook-ups, it wasn't only the desire of the flesh, Multi wanted to be important in Water's life too. 

"Have you told him already?" The soft voice of the small ghoul snapped Multi back from his thoughts.

"No… I was going to do it soon," he confessed.

"I see…" Dewdrop shifted the weight to one leg as he took his time absorbing the new information, realising that Multi had more serious intentions with the bassist.

"You have feelings for him too, don’t you?" The tall ghoul asked, almost as a rhetorical question. Multi was able to catch some strange hints during their talk that night.

Tsking, Dewdrop answered, "I care about him, okay? Just… Don't be a fucker with him."

“Okay, king of feelings.” Smiling, Multi got up from the bed, standing tall in front of the other ghoul.

“See? That’s why I can’t be nice to you. Now fuck off.” Dewdrop dragged Multi to the exit by the wrist, opened the door and pushed him out of the room.

“See you around.” Multi's smile widened and he saluted him with two fingers like he usually did.

Rolling his eyes in boredom once again, the small ghoul closed the door, but opened it again almost immediately, Multi hadn't even begun walking back to his room.

“Just a reminder that Water is not the only one you owe apologies.” Dewdrop said and closed the door for real after he saw Multi nodding in understanding.

***

With a liqueur-filled chocolate in hand, Multi stood in front of Water’s room. He had picked the sweet from the dessert table at dinner earlier that night, he knew that the bassist was looking forward to trying the sweets but left before he could do it. Multi brought the chocolate with him because he knew that it could lift the ghoul’s mood, so he knocked at the door and waited.

And waited for a little longer, but no one answered. He tried knocking again, this time also announcing his intentions. “Hey, babe, it’s me. I’d like to talk to you.” Multi leaned his forehead against the wooden door and tried to pay attention to any noise that would come from inside.

“I’m sorry...” Water’s voice was low and gloomy, but it sounded close, as if the bassist was speaking against the door too, “but I don’t feel like talking right now.”

Multi looked down at the chocolate in purple wrapper, rolling it on his palm. After his talk with Dewdrop he couldn’t blame Water for his decision, maybe the best he could do was to leave the ghoul for the time being and try to talk to him again the next day. As much as Multi would like to settle the matter as soon as possible, he also didn’t want to push Water into it, he had to be patient.

“Okay,” the guitarist replied, “we can talk later. Good night.” He stepped back and looked at the door for a few seconds, maybe unconsciously hoping for Water to open it for him, but that didn’t happen. “I’m sorry, Water. I truly am.” Multi said before turning and heading to his room.

When he arrived there, he changed his clothes to his nightwear and lit a joint in an attempt to ease the huge headache that he felt as he took his time to think again about the events from that night.

***

It’s not like it’d be possible to change a ghoul’s whole personality overnight, and that definitely wasn’t the case with Multi, but the night before caused him to become reflective, convincing himself that he would have to go through a few changes if he wanted to stay with Water. Multi couldn’t remember caring so much for someone to the point of seeking their approval, but he still didn't wish to change who he truly was. However, Dewdrop’s words made sense, even if it hurt Multi's pride to admit the other fire ghoul was right.

He could try. He  _ should _ .

Multi’s crude behaviour didn’t fit life on the surface, there were social consequences that he had never been exposed to, but once he started living in the clergy he noticed that things were way more different from his time in Hell among fire ghouls. He never cared much about the weight of his words and actions back then, especially because he had always been a strong ghoul and others wouldn’t pick a fight with him so easily. However, as he was trained to become a band ghoul, Multi began his process of adaptation even though he still struggled to accept some social conventions out of pure stubbornness.

Things were supposed to change and the first thing Multi did after leaving his room was heading straight to the greenhouse. He just didn’t expect to spot two strange ghouls at the large front door. Multi wasn’t sure if they were Earth’s acquaintances, but their odd furtive behaviour raised suspicions as both ghouls looked from side to side. Multi was still far away, but he decided to hide behind a palm tree in a pot next to a wall and watched the others.

Squinting his eyes, Multi noticed that one of the ghouls had dry branches in his arms, making the guitarist confused about what was happening. The strange ghoul opened the door and quickly shoved the branches inside while the other snapped his fingers and a spark lit the branches, making Multi realize what was going on, even if a little too late. 

“Hey!” Multi yelled and ran in the direction of the ghouls, who quickly looked at the band ghoul in surprise. “What the fuck are you two doing?”

“Shit!” One of the strangers said and exchanged a worried look with his companion before they both ran away.

Multi stopped by the door, glancing at the two ghouls escaping and then at the branches on fire. “Fuck.” He muttered to himself while trying to make a quick decision. Growling in frustration, Multi chose to stay and prevent the fire from spreading even though he wanted to go after the other ghouls and teach them a lesson.

Everything happened too fast since the moment the fire started, but as soon as Multi approached the branches he heard someone talking. “Go find them! Leave this to me.”

Turning to face whoever spoke, Multi widened his eyes in surprise at the sight of Water walking in his direction. “Hurry up!” The bassist said when he noticed Multi motionless.

Multi didn’t have much time to process the last seconds, but he nodded, running in the direction where the ghouls fled. The guitarist was fast enough and spotted the strangers exiting the building towards the garden. He boosted his speed a little and finally reached them, grabbing their collars from behind, shoving the ghouls against the nearest wall and making them yelp with the impact.

“Who the fuck are you and what were you doing at the greenhouse?” Multi asked between gritted teeth.

“Hold on! We just thought it’d be fun, it was your idea, no?” One of the ghouls said.

Multi thought the ghoul was talking to his companion, but soon he realized that the question was directed at him. “My idea? What are you talking about?”

“The Mass from last week! You told the giant tree that someone had set fire to the greenhouse.” The ghoul let out a nervous giggle.

“Yes! C’mon, spare some fire ghoul solidarity?” The other asked, trying to turn his masked face to look at Multi, but the guitarist pressed his head against the wall once again.

_ The Mass… _ Multi didn’t need to make too much of an effort to recall the events from that day when he tied Earth’s shoe laces and lied to the drummer about the fire. He never expected someone else to pick on his reckless joke and actually put it into action, Multi himself never intended to make it a reality, he just wanted to startle Earth from his sleep back then.

Perhaps his pranks weren’t as harmless as he claimed them to be. 

Regretting the whole scenario which he collaborated to make it happen, Multi frowned and grunted to himself. “There’s no ‘fire ghoul solidarity’, you should know." The other two ghouls, who were already immobilized, felt their bodies freezing due to Multi’s threatening voice. “Pray for Satan that I won’t catch you two wandering around the greenhouse again, otherwise I will make sure you wish to be sent back to Hell.”

The strangers gulped and Multi couldn’t see it, but they were sweating behind their masks too. The guitarist finally let go of their collars and waited for them to slowly turn to face him.

“Did I make myself clear?” He asked one last time and the other two quickly nodded, too scared to keep eye contact. “Good. Now get out of my sight, assholes.” Multi snarled and the ghouls swore they could see his eyes glow red for a split second before they yelped and hurried to go anywhere far away from the guitarist.

Sighing loudly once the others were gone, Multi decided to return to the greenhouse, finding Water picking up what was left of the charred branches, a small puddle under them. Approaching the bassist, Multi kneeled down to help him, glancing in his direction every once in a while as they kept silent, but not for too long.

“The fuckers won’t come back here.” Multi said.

“I hope so. That was too cruel of them.” Water replied in a quiet voice, still focused on collecting the branches and throwing them away into the nearest trash can.

“Yeah...” The fire ghoul lowered his gaze, feeling guilty. “I came to apologise to Earth.” He said as he stood up after cleaning the floor.

“I’m glad to hear.” The bassist awkwardly looked into Multi’s eyes, folding his hands in front of his body. “I have to go.” Water announced and spun on his heels, ready to leave.

“Talk to you later?” The fire ghoul asked before it was too late, his question making Water stop is his tracks to look at him one last time. Multi waited for any response from the ghoul, expectantly, until the bassist quietly nodded.

That was a good sign, right? At least it made Multi sigh in relief for the time being. However, he had other things to do in that moment, so he turned his attention back to the entrance of the greenhouse and entered, searching for the drummer, “Earth?” He said while looking for any sign of his band mate. “Muddy boy?” Apparently there was no one there.

Maybe it was good that Earth didn’t have to witness the fuss from earlier, but at the same time Multi felt a bit uneasy knowing that he would keep unfinished business with the drummer for a little longer. He’d have to apologise on another occasion.

As he exited the greenhouse, Multi spotted a small notepad over a counter with some jar plants. He stopped by and wondered if it would be convenient to leave a note until he met the drummer to properly talk to him. He thought about what he would write for a couple minutes, but everything that came to his mind seemed too long for a simple note and it’d be better if he kept those words for when they speak face to face. 

Not feeling too creative, Multi tsked and wrote, ‘ _ sorry, mate - Multi’.  _ He was sure that wasn’t enough, but he couldn’t elaborate more right then.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the last one!


	7. Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Multi and Water finally talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is the last chapter of the fic but I can't think of a good summary. Anyways, huge thanks to @evapunk333 for beta-ing this chapter <3
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this final chapter!

A couple of days have passed since Multi finally felt ready to talk to Water. It was late in the evening and the fire ghoul stood in front of the bassist’s door, ready to knock, but before he could do so he heard the sound of keys, so he turned to face whoever approached.

“Hi.” Water stopped by the door, guiding his key into the lock.

“Hi!” Flashing a smile to the other ghoul, Multi waited for Water to say something else in hopes that he’d be invited in, which he soon was.

“Come in.”

They entered the room and Water walked towards the bed, carefully removed his mask and placed it on the nightstand. Crossing his arms over his chest, he slowly turned and looked up at Multi with shy green eyes. The fire ghoul stood in silence for a few seconds as he admired the face of the bassist. It had been a few days since they saw each other unmasked, but it felt like a long time. Multi wished to get closer to Water, cup his face in his hands and feel the taste of his lips again, but he knew that apologising should come first.

As Multi made to take off his own mask, Water stepped closer to him, raising his hands so he could hold the sides of the piece of metal covering Multi’s face. Curious to know what the bassist had in mind, the fire ghoul dropped his arms to his sides and waited. Water lifted the mask, putting it on the armchair next to them, then proceeded to rest his hands on Multi’s shoulders while staring right into his brown eyes. 

Not saying a word, Water prompted his face forward and brushed his lips against Multi’s, briefly. The guitarist didn’t expect that to happen, at least not at that moment, so the pleasant surprise caused him goosebumps since that was exactly what he was wishing for. Lacing Water’s waist with his arms, Multi brought him closer, deepening the kiss as they tilted their heads to the side.

They kissed for a while, hands smoothing each other's backs and necks, until they stopped to catch their breath and Multi spoke, "I'm so stupid and I ended up hurting you, I'm really sorry about that."

The bassist frowned, "honestly, I was afraid that you didn't care about my feelings after I knew about what you did to Earth too…" he said as he looked down, avoiding Multi's stare. They were supposed to have a heart to heart conversation, so nothing made more sense than for him to tell how he truly felt about the incident.

"That definitely didn't paint a good picture of myself, your worries were valid," the fire ghoul tenderly rubbed Water's arms up and down, "it's just that… I know this doesn't excuse my behaviour, but before I met you I never truly felt deeply attached to whoever I got involved with. My relationships had always been so shallow. I don't recall any ghoul or ghoulette from the fire clan that had a long lasting relationship, down there emotional sensibility wasn't seen with good eyes."

"I can imagine." Water nodded. He always had a hard time dealing with fire ghouls in Hell since they were considered a threat to his clan.

Since he was a ghoul kit, Water had heard stories about how heartless and wild fire ghouls could be. He also heard about a water ghoul that had ran away with a fire ghoulette long ago, he didn't understand how that would be possible given the fire clan's reputation. However, knowing about the insensitive habits from fire ghouls, that event made him realize that maybe some of them weren't satisfied with their lifestyle and tried to get in touch with their emotions even if it meant running away.

"Making you uncomfortable was never my intention, I swear." Multi continued talking, "It won't happen again, I promise."

"Thank you, Multi," Water hugged the other ghoul, "I feel like I can believe in you. I actually thought that I had exaggerated the situation in my mind and-"

"No, if it made you feel bad then it wasn't an exaggeration and I owe you apologies."

Lifting his head to glance at Multi, the bassist smiled softly, his face slightly red. "I just want to make sure that I can keep investing my feelings in you." He nuzzled Multi's chest, the fire ghoul squeezing him in his arms.

"Yes, please, that's all I want!" Multi said, happy to know that Water wished to take their relationship seriously. "If you want too, of course." The bassist nodded and Multi felt his heart beating fast, realising that that was the best moment to finally get something out of his chest, "I love you," he said as he moved away just enough to be able to lift Water's chin with his finger, "I realized this some time ago."

The bassist looked surprised, his eyes shining in expectation, "Multi…"

"I don't want to disappoint you anymore. Look," the guitarist searched for something inside his pocket, taking a wrapped chocolate out, the same one he had picked from the dessert table, "are you interested in labelling our relationship? I wanna call you my boyfriend." Multi said as he handed the sweet to Water, who looked at him in a mix of curiosity and bliss.

Smiling largely, Water accepted the chocolate. "Are you bribing me?" They both chuckled and the bassist took a good look at the sweet. "Is this from that dinner?"

"Yes, I saved one for you since you didn't have any."

"Thank you." Smiling, Water didn't unwrap the chocolate, placing it on the nightstand instead. Then he turned his attention back to Multi, wrapping his arms around the guitarist's neck. "By the way, I want to be your boyfriend too." He rubbed their noses together before kissing Multi on the mouth, not being able to hold back a smile while their lips touched.

Water moved his face away and the other ghoul tried to follow his mouth, but the bassist just giggled and placed a finger on the other's lips, putting some distance between them. He then proceeded to run a hand down Multi's arm and hold his hand, a shy look on his face as he silently guided the guitarist to the bed.

Sitting on the edge of the mattress, they continued kissing as Multi’s hand carefully rubbed the side of Water’s neck, feeling hairs rising in the area. His fingers moved up into the bassist’s dark wavy hair, gingerly intertwining with the ghoul’s locks and bringing his face even closer than it was already, Water softly moaning when he felt Multi’s fingertips brushing against his scalp. When they parted for air, the bassist let out a surprised ‘oh’, as if he had just remembered something and Multi looked at him in curiosity.

“I love you too, I should have mentioned this when you said you loved me.” He said with a smile.

There was no need for any more statement of feelings, Multi felt his heart skipping a beat as soon as the words left Water’s mouth. He was already sure of his own feelings for the bassist, confirming that the love was mutual made the fire ghoul feel the urge to scream in celebration. However, it was one of the rarest times when Multi was at a loss for words, he could only manage to smile largely from side to side and push Water back on the mattress, pinning him down while he kissed the bassist with much enthusiasm. 

Giggling against Multi’s mouth, Water let himself be dominated by the other ghoul, appreciating the energy he put into the kissing. It was electric, contagious, for a moment Water felt like there was no life outside the scenario they were experiencing. When he started feeling lightheaded, Water broke the kiss to catch his breath with his eyes still closed, a smile stamped on his face. Multi licked his lips and sat back on Water’s hips, straddling him. Slipping a hand beneath the bassist’s shirt, Multi ran his fingers up the ghoul’s slender torso, feeling not only Water wriggling slightly at the touch but also the bulge growing in his pants. 

Multi pulled Water’s shirt up, revealing his stomach, watching it going up and down as the bassist breathed heavily before he started unbuckling the ghoul’s trousers. Not interested in wasting more time, Water lifted his hips and helped Multi drag down his pants and boxers, soon nothing was covering his body from his waist to his feet. Excited, the fire ghoul’s eyes shone and his mouth watered at the sight of Water’s half erection, it just needed a little bit of work until it’d be fully hard and Multi was looking forward to that.

Biting the nail of his thumb, Water looked entertained as he watched through long lashes the guitarist admiring his body. He almost begged Multi to touch him when he noticed that the fire ghoul was taking too long to do anything, but he tried to hold back a smile when he saw Multi finally lowering his head between his legs, kissing the tip of the bassist’s cock. Sighing in satisfaction, Water bit on his bottom lip as Multi took him into his mouth, feeling the warmth of the ghoul’s mouth and the softness of his tongue surrounding his hardness.

Head bobbing up and down as he worked on the base with a hand, Multi slipped his free hand under one of Water’s thighs in a signal for the bassist to drag his knee up and hook his leg on his shoulder. Water’s breath hastened and he couldn’t keep his eyes open to see Multi’s skilled ministrations. Soon the moans started filling the room as the bassist arched his back at every suck and lick, especially when Multi fondled his balls as he traced the veins on his cock with his forked tongue. Clutching the sheets, Water felt something building inside him after a while, so he decided to lead a hand into Multi’s hair to make him stop.

“Hold on...” Propping on his elbows, he said between pants and Multi immediately complied, looking up at Water. “I don’t want to come right now.”

“Oh,” Multi said as he licked the pre-cum off the corner of his mouth, “as you wish, babe.” They smiled at each other in understandment.

Multi didn’t sit up immediately, he took his time caressing the outsides of Water’s thighs, placing wet kisses near the ghoul’s crotch. “You have the most elegant legs I’ve ever seen.”

The guitarist’s comment made Water chuckle and shake his head, “There’s no need for exaggerations.”

“I’m not exaggerating, they’re beautiful, perfect.” Multi kept kissing down the bassist’s thighs, knees and shins at every word he said. “I will never stop worshipping you." He paused the kisses just to make the comment and look up at Water.

Surprised by the ghoul’s words, Water smiled faintly and shook his head once more, "I don't want to be worshipped, I'm just a regular ghoul."

"No, you are not.” Multi let go of Water’s legs and crawled between them until he was laying on top of the bassist, pecking his lips before he continued speaking, “You're the most precious ghoul I've ever had the pleasure to meet.” The fire ghoul paused, his eyes fixed on Water’s as he lifted his torso just enough to unbutton his own shirt. “You're stunning and smart, lovely and interesting." He kissed the bassist’s face once he was done unbuttoning the shirt, taking one of Water’s hand and placing it on his chest.

Cheeks turning crimson, Water felt his face burning as a result of Multi’s speech since words like those were never said to him before. The bassist felt special but still astonished to know that Multi thought all of that about him, his heart was racing crazily into his ribcage as thrilled as he was. Speechless, Water didn’t even realize the tear that escaped the corner of his eye.

Multi brought Water’s hand closer to his mouth so he could place a kiss on top of it before he asked for something that he had been craving for a long time now, "Take me, please."

Considering their talk from the other time, the fire ghoul was ready to have his request denied again, but much to his surprise, Water nodded almost immediately. The bassist felt nervous, but his euphoria was bigger at that moment and he wished to try a new dynamic with Multi.

“Alright, I can do it.” Water whispered and Multi kissed him deeply, grateful.

They moved away so Water could grab the bottle of lube from the drawer of the nightstand. While he was busy coating his fingers with lube, Multi made sure to undress quickly and lay down with his back to Water, looking expectantly at the bassist over his shoulder. Water approached him from behind and placed a kiss on his shoulder blade, his fingers slipping between Multi’s cleft and brushing against his hole. 

Carefully pushing a digit inside, Water paid attention to any sign of discomfort in Multi’s face, but the fire ghoul just closed his eyes and exhaled heavily at the insertion, lips parted as the bassist slowly buried a finger inside him. Water moved his finger in and out, adding more lube when he felt that a second finger would be welcome. While his fingers worked to stretch Multi enough, Water tenderly kissed the other ghoul’s neck and shoulder. Humming in response, Multi smiled and turned his face to capture the bassist’s lips, using a hand to also cup the side of Water’s face.

After a few minutes of scissoring, stretching and adding a third finger, Water noticed how his fingers slid in and out of Multi more easily. “Is this enough?” He asked in a whisper before nuzzling behind Multi’s ear.

“Yes, now let me feel you.” The fire ghoul replied as he ran a hand down Water’s side until he reached his crotch, carefully grabbing the bassist’s cock and guiding it between his cheeks.

“Wait,” Water giggled and stopped Multi’s hand. He then held Multi by the shoulders and turned him on the mattress, making him lay on his back. “This is better. I want to see your face the whole time.”

“Hmm, I like this idea.” Multi replied with a smirk as Water positioned himself between his legs and started unbuttoning the shirt that he was still wearing. “Keep it,” The guitarist said when Water opened the last button, “you look sexy.” Multi winked at the ghoul and pulled him down by the right side of his shirt, kissing his lips. “I mean, you look sexier than you already are.”

“Multi...” Flushing, the bassist chuckled embarrassed and complied.

Grabbing the bottle beside him, Water lubed up his cock while a mix of anxiety and expectancy occupied his thoughts. Multi seemed to figure out what was going on in the ghoul’s mind, so he smoothed Water’s thigh with a warm hand, which made the bassist look at him.

“Is everything okay?” Multi softly asked. Water nodded and smiled back at him.

“Yes, just please let me know if I do something that you don’t like.”

“Alright, but you shouldn’t worry. I trust you.” 

The words of reassurance made Water’s heart beat faster. A short film played in his mind for the next few seconds as he recalled previous intimate moments with Multi, thinking about how the guitarist made him feel safe and pleased, how attentive and careful he was and how Multi made sure to always make Water feel at his best. He’d like to provide the same level of satisfaction to Multi, feel his body quivering below himself, feel his thighs squeezing around Water’s waist while the bassist pounded inside him, hitting his sweet spot and making him moan into his ear.

Once inside Multi, the tightness surrounding Water’s cock snapped him out of his fantasy, the sensations too real and too good to be ignored. He opened his eyes just in time to see Muti throwing his head back, wrapping his hands around Water’s neck.

“Yes...” A long whisper slipped through the guitarist’s lips as Water moved his hips slowly but surely.

Placing his hands next to Multi’s head, the bassist lowered his face and kissed the other, tongues rubbing against each other’s. He craved to feel more of Multi as he buried himself deeper at every thrust, their kiss also more intense this time, it was hot and wet, saliva escaping the corner of their mouths. Water felt Multi’s hardness being pressed against his stomach and it made him slip a hand between their bodies so he could stroke Multi’s erection.

It was impossible for Water to ignore the contented smile plastered on the fire ghoul’s face, which only made the bassist feel more confident, realizing that he was able to make Multi feel good too. Soon the worries that only existed in Water’s mind vanished little by little, especially when Multi started to get louder, his face contorting in pleasure as Water moved at a faster pace when more friction was needed.

Multi’s moans almost sounded like he was growling, it was so good to feel Water filling him up completely, their sweaty bodies rubbing against each other. Multi never had any concerns about Water, on the contrary, he always took his time to encourage the bassist, not only regarding what they did in bed, but in their everyday lives too. Too bad Multi ended up fucking things up at some point but it seemed like that was past them and the best thing Multi could do was to learn from his mistakes. He’d hate to let Water down again, wishing that he would not repeat a situation like that.

Every now and then Multi would pull Water down for a kiss, but it never really lasted for too long since the moans made it nearly impossible to do anything else. Water's movements got faster, both ghouls were shaking and breathing heavily and he knew that keeping up that pace would make them reach their climax soon. Wrapping his thighs tighter around Water’s waist and burying his face in the crook of the ghoul’s neck, Multi whispered, “I love you...” His words sent a shiver down Water’s spine and it only took a few more strokes to make Multi arch his back and come in his hand.

Satisfied with his accomplishment and close to his own limit, the bassist kept moving his hips while his hand helped Multi through his orgasm. The fire ghoul then cupped Water’s face, making him look at him. He noticed how the green of Water’s eyes were almost completely covered by his wide pupils seconds before the bassist closed his eyes and frowned as he finally came inside of Multi.

Breathing heavily, Water bucked his hips a few more times as the wave of intense pleasure went through his body. After that he carefully slipped out of Multi and collapsed next to him. Both ghouls took their time to catch their breath, the bassist even felt a little dizzy, his mind was foggy but for the best reason. Rolling on his side, Multi cuddled Water, petting his now untidy wavy hair and pressing their foreheads together.

They smiled at each other and Water stole a quick kiss from Multi before asking, “Was it awkward?” 

Snorting, Multi arched an eyebrow and shook his head, “Not at all, you were great.” He brushed a thumb across Water’s lips, “It felt deliciously good... Maybe we should try this more often?”

Water chuckled, his cheeks rosy, feeling a little embarrassed by Multi’s compliments. “Maybe.” He replied, sounding more sure than his choice of word.

Then Water stole another kiss.

***

Rehearsal was finished for the day and the ghouls started putting their instruments back to their places as they got ready to leave. After the ghoulettes, Aether and Dewdrop left the room, Multi approached Water and asked, “Can you go first?”

The bassist felt confused for a moment, but he noticed Multi discreetly glancing at Earth, who was cleaning his drum kit, and let out a quiet ‘oh’ in realization. “Sure! See you soon.” He nodded and walked towards the exit.

Sighing, Multi shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped closer to Earth, stopping next to him. It took the drummer a few seconds before he noticed that he wasn’t alone, thinking everyone had already left. He stood up and brushed his hands together before crossing his arms over his chest, looking down at the fire ghoul. Perhaps both ghouls were waiting for the other to speak first, so there was an embarrassing silence between them while they tried to keep eye contact, both feeling awkward by the situation.

“Listen,” Multi finally said, “I want to apologize for-”

“I, hm, need to go.” Earth interrupted the other while searching for something in his pocket.

“Can you wait a little? I really need to talk to you,” frowning, the guitarist insisted. 

He had left a simple note on Earth’s notepad a few days ago when he went to the greenhouse to apologize, but the drummer wasn’t there. The rehearsal had been the first time they both were around each other since the dinner and Multi wanted to settle the matter as soon as possible. However, Earth suddenly seemed to be in a hurry, even though Multi actually believed that the tall ghoul felt a little anxious. He couldn’t blame Earth at all, Multi recognized that he had crossed the line and hurt the ghoul too, but he was trying to fix his mistakes little by little.

Earth didn’t reply with words, he just shook his head slightly and took something out of his pocket, handing it to Multi, who looked down at his hand and lifted an eyebrow in surprise behind his mask. “A joint?” He asked with a snort, accepting the cigarette.

Shrugging, Earth started walking away, “Maybe another time. I really need to go, but hey, uh, make good use of it.” He pointed at the joint and left the room.

Confused, Multi tried to go after him, but when he went through the door he was met with Water only. “Oh, you were quick! How was it?” The bassist asked.

“He didn’t even let me talk properly, when I mentioned I wanted to apologize he said that he had to go, then he gave me this.” He showed the cigarette to Water.

“Maybe you caught him by surprise.”

“Maybe...”

“I don’t know, he might need some time to let you approach him again. At least you demonstrated some regret.” Water said after some ponderation.

“Yeah… I won’t pressure him for now.” 

As they started walking towards the stairs, Multi was still thinking about his brief attempt at talking to Earth. But he thought maybe Water was right and he just needed to let Earth take his time before Multi tried touching the subject again. Once they were on the ground floor, Water asked, “What would you like for dinner?”

“Hm, why? Are you planning on cooking?” Multi smiled, curious to know the answer.

“Yes,” the bassist chuckled, “Aether taught me a few things recently and I’d like to put them into practice.”

“Wow, you never fail to amaze me.” Multi tenderly held one of Water’s hand, lifting it so he could place a kiss on top of it and make the bassist giggle shyly. “That sounds like a delicious idea, but I will let you pick the food.”

“You know I would easily exchange dinner for some sweets.”

“I’m fine with it. What will it be? Muffins? Cake?”

Water wasn’t sure about what he would cook or bake just yet, but while the bassist pondered about the options Multi stared at him in admiration, feeling lucky enough to have the sweetest ghoul by his side and convinced that yes, some changes could provide good things in someone’s life.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who supported this fic so far! Despite this being the last chapter it doesn't mean their story won't continue. Some subjects will be expanded into their own stories, some of them are even written already, you can check my series "On Earth As It Is In Hell".
> 
> I hope to see you all on future fics, thank you once again for your support <3


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